Move over, New York City. The sun’s coming out on stage in the Florida Keys.
Marathon Community Theater starts its 2026-2027 season with the beloved musical “Annie,” on the eve of its 50th Broadway anniversary. Co-directed by Alex Rickert and Allison Sayer, the show is a feel-good classic and features a lively and talented cast of all ages.
“Annie” starts out with the rag-tag and rowdy orphans, played by nearly a dozen local children who bring their own brand of high-energy choreography and chemistry to the stage. Annie, the ever-optimistic dreamer, is split cast and played by Ryan Bryk and Gabi Wiebe, who beautifully set the tone with the first musical number of the show, “Maybe.”
The two actresses bring their own take on the iconic redhead, and learned from each other as they figured out the part.
“I learned from Ryan how to work really hard in practice,” said Wiebe. “Annie is kind of different, and kind of similar to me.
“And it’s not just the red hair!” she laughed. “It’s fun, but also hard to play a character so different.”
“Gabi doesn’t ever break character, but at first I’d smile sometimes when I’m not supposed to,” said Bryk. “She helped me feel the emotion of Annie”.
Both young ladies said they love sharing the stage with Coco, Wiebe’s own goldendoodle making her stage debut as Sandy.
Then comes the terrifying and terrific head of the orphanage, Miss Hannigan, played by Destiny Lee and Tiffany Moore.
“Doing Annie in this small theater is cool,” said Moore. “It’s intimate to see a show so big in a small setting.”
It’s easy to see why for Lee, a highlight of the show is the number “Little Girls,” where she can “say things that you absolutely cannot usually say” as Hannigan complains about her gaggle of orphans. Miss Hannigan is joined by a few cronies, including her brother Rooster, played by MCT celebrity John Schaefer, and the debut of Aly Huberty as con-woman Lily St. Regis.
To Annie’s rescue come billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Deamion Stewart, also new to the MCT stage), his secretary Grace (Michelle Macoskey), his household staff led by Drake (John Hunt), and even an assist from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jerry Nussenblatt). The cast works together as Warbucks’ staff, the New York City locals, and the crew of Bert Healy’s (also Nussenblatt) radio show.
Many adults, including cast members here, have a strong connection with Annie in their theater career.
“‘Annie’ is the first show I was in, and I played Maid Number 3,” said Macoskey. “It’s a full circle moment to come back as Grace.”
Megan Gross, whose multiple roles in the show include manipulating a vintage ventriloquist dummy, was in the ensemble for “Annie” when she was in the eighth grade. Even Annie’s iconic red dress, on display in the theater’s gallery, has a story: It’s a donation from local bartender Rachel Bowman from when she played Annie 33 years ago – and sewn by former coworkers of Moore’s husband Joe.
Now, a new generation of talent begins or continues their theater journey with the same show about a sunny tomorrow on the MCT stage.
“Annie” runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through the month of November, with Sunday matinees on Nov. 15 and 22 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $38 and available at marathontheater.org or by calling the box office at 305-743-0994.
Photos by NATALIE DANKO/Keys Weekly
