Hospice worker and performer, Caroline Helm Huval and theater professor Bonny McDonald, two women balancing careers, family, and the realities of caring across genertions, will bring their original musical Ms. Warbucks to the stage for its second run August 6-9 and August 14-16 at Cite des Artes in downtown Lafayette.
Inspired by Harold’s Gray’s turn of the century cartoon, the show is set in 1961 and follows grown-up Annie Warbucks as she visits her former orphanage director in a nursing home. In this setting, Annie recognizes the same struggles she faced as a child: institutionalized, abandonment, and above all, a longing for family. The senior citizens are the orphans now.
While working in a nursing home as a hospice social worker, Huval, a lifelong fan of the 1982 movie Annie, had a vision of the nursing home residents dancing to “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” When she partnered with McDonald to co-write the musical, the show took off. The team grew to include songwriters Johanna Divine and Chas Justus. It sold out four shows at the Acadiana Center for the Arts two years ago. They are thrilled to present a revised version, with more songs and drama, later this summer.
“As our population ages, more families than ever are facing hard questions about long-term care, caregiving, and what it means to grow old,” said McDonald.
The authors believe it is important to tell stories about our aging local communities and societal responsibility to our elders. "The show is about our need for connection,” says Helm, “How can we take be er care of one another as a community? What does it mean to belong?”
Ms. Warbucks takes up questions of abandonment, resentment, and forgiveness as well, the authors say. “We hope that our show provides strong, interesting roles for older actors,” said
McDonald, no ng that the show features 12 senior citizens, ages 70 to 88 singing, dancing, and showcasing their talents.
The creative team has big dreams: they want to take this show to Broadway. “We keep imagining Carol Burne playing Ms. Agatha,” says Helm, referring to Burne ’s incredible performance of “Ms. Hannigan,” a character named “Ms. Agatha” in Grey’s cartoon and in Ms. Warbucks.
The return of Ms. Warbucks is a collaborative effort between the creators, the cast, Cite des Artes and PASA, Performing Arts Serving Acadiana. Ms. Warbucks promises heartrending songs, big laughs, deep conversations, and as Annie would say, a rootin’ tootin’ good me.
Performance Details
Cite des Artes
August 6-9, 14-16
Tickets/ Citedesarts.org or mswarbucks.com
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