Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.

The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are fifteen Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada. 

Editor's Note: This review of Annie was written by Malyha Bashar of Edison High School.

It's a hard knock life out there -- but Falls Church High School's endearing production of Annie goes to show that a pinch of optimism can go a long way to making it happier.

Based on a comic strip from the 1930s, the musical follows an eleven-year-old girl named Annie living in a scrappy orphanage during the Great Depression. Left with nothing but a locket and a promise that her parents will return for her one day, she survives on pure hope and compassion for the other children in the orphanage. Despite her pluckiness, her life seems to always come to the same end of monotony until an elusive billionaire Oliver Warbucks offers Annie the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the winter holidays in his home, in the heart of New York City. Through comedic escapades and heartfelt vulnerability, Annie and Oliver's bond teaches them the real treasure that lies in a loving family.

Ellie Whitfield, as Annie, captured the hearts of the entire audience from the opening song. Despite living in an ongoing depression, Whitfield let the earnestness of her character shine as a light to inspire the other characters around her. Whitfield's incredible vocal belts were showcased in the hit song, "Tomorrow," where she dreamt that the world around her was going to become better someday. Whitfield's usage of strong character voice had the audience genuinely believing that there is a feisty, childlike wonder of a little girl onstage rather than a brilliant actress.

Annie's plucky attitude was charmingly contrasted by the stoic Oliver Warbucks (Colt Armstrong). Armstrong added layers to the character by showing a gentler, awkward side to Warbucks, for all of his solemnity, his rare shows of emotion became all the more powerful. Quinn Lopez had the audience shaking with laughter through the role of Miss Aggie Hannigan, the miserable matron of the orphanage. Hannigan was portrayed as sarcastic and desperate yet lovable, and her performance in Easy Street with Rooster (Lam Vu) and Lily (Dara Kearney) was an energy-filled, mid-show showstopper.

The set crew (led by Justin Chenh and Max Purtill) built a magnificent set of platforms, which were then transformed into the vibrant landscapes of NYC, Warbucks Manor, the orphanage, enhanced by illustrated projections by assistant director McKenna Cobb that shone on certain areas of the stage. The lighting crew (led by Brian Gutierrez Lujan) utilized a variety of colored lighting to create different atmospheres of community, resilience, and hardship. The costuming department (led by Isabelle Paparella) as well as hair and makeup (led by Vin Watts) reinforced the setting of the Great Depression through intricate details within the characters' designs, such as fabric patches sewn into the orphans' clothing and 1930s-esque makeup style. The props (led by Cristina Nguyen) department even brought on a live dog (Whimsy Cheddarbean) to play Sandy, who enthralled the audience and made the show all the more engaging.

Through artistically crafted atmosphere, dynamic vocals, and characters the audience roots for till the curtain falls, Falls Church High School's performance reminds that there's always hope for a better tomorrow.