 She's a hard-luck orphan living a hard-knock life, but Annie is anything but pessimistic.
Instead, she keeps her chin up and looks for the good in the worst situations, which are many in the New York City Municipal Orphanage run by Miss Hannigan.
Annie's perky optimism pops off the Tribune Media Service comic strip and onto the stage at Chautauqua Park Pavilion for the next four evenings. Nightly shows of the Vermillion Players Children's Theater production of "Annie" begin at 7:30 p.m.
Molly Kinate gives a tremendously peppy performance as "Annie". Her vocal performance, highlighted in the songs "Maybe," "Tomorrow," and "I'm Gonna Like it Here," is very strong.
Her small, thin stature, while perfect for the part, belie her ability to deliver from begining to end in the 2 1/2-hour production. Kinate keeps Annie upbeat from start to finish
 But before the sentimentality can drop to sweetly, Annie's sunniness is offset by the darkly comic performance of Colleen McCaskey as the gin-guzzlin orphanage matron Miss Hannigan.
McCaskey's sour facial reactions are right on target and her performance of "Little Girls", is absolutely delightful. At one point, she laments to the audience, "why anyone would want to be an orphan is beyond me."
She provides a necessary balance through a powerful performance as someone who will always find the rain, but never a rainbow.
 Rory Jobst adds to the strong cast as Oliver Warbucks, Annie's benefactor who takes her out of the orphanage and into his mansion - and then into his heart.
Jobst does a great job on a complex role, turning from a lonely businessman into a little girl's "daddy". Like Kinate, he delivers the role from start to finish.
Also capably handling their roles are Bret Gostelli as Miss Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and Kati Bammann, his floozy girlfriend, Lily. Thier conniving also lends comic relief to the show. And thier interaction with Miss Mannigan is pure entertainment. The trio give a great rendition of "Easy Street."
 And the brother-sister pair of Amie Dunham as Warbuck's secretary, Grace, and Patrick Dunham, Warbuck's butler, Drake, both perfectly proper and unbelievably Kind, round out a solid lead cast.
The show is bolstered, however, by the sheer number of other cast members who make up the other orphans, servants, Hooverville and NYC residents, and President FDR and Mrs. Roosevelt and his cabinet. And no "Annie" show would be complete without befriended stray dog, "Sandy", played by Matt Milhauser.
 The show features more than 100 cast members, who with superb costumes and detailed sets give the show its top-drawer quality.
Bringing the production all together is director Jerry Keck, who is aided by his wife, Jean as music director, and daughter Krista Keck Carlson, as choreographer, and numerous volunteers for costumes, lights, stage work, sound, makeup, concessions and keeping tabs of off-stage cast members.
One dose of "Annie" will make everyone feel brighter days are ahead.
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