The sun'll come out tomorrow - if only. Though it may be wet and miserable, inside the Theatre Royal, there's enough sunshine and laughter to warm even the coldest of hearts.

Jemma Carlisle plays little orphan Annie with plenty of gusto, singing and acting well - as do the rest of the orphans.

With children and animals to compete with in this musical, the adults have to pull out all the stops. Louise English as Grace Farrell is pretty and charming and Mark Wynter as Daddy Warbucks brings great warmth to the role.

Unfortunately, even with Annie joining in (and the backing of the entire cast), their combined charms fail to make NYC the show-stopping number it should be. It never quite gets off the ground and goes on for far too long.

The same cannot be said of We'd Like To Thank You Herbert Hoover - a great song, well sung and simply but effectively choreographed by David Kort.

The supporting cast does a marvellous job here and throughout the show, taking on a multitude of characters.

It is, indeed, a complicated book with down-and-outs, radio stars, politicians and even President Roosevelt woven into the plot. It's all rather clever and the story highlights the grim reality of the Great Depression.

Su Pollard plays Miss Hannigan, the alcohol-dependent, child-hating orphanage matron. She certainly has a healthy pair of lungs and this is one character where the more OTT you are, the better.

I never really felt sympathy for her, though, and I always want Miss Hannigan to be one of those poor souls you feel life has just dealt a bum hand to. Unlike her bad apple of a brother, Rooster, nicely played by Matthew Hewitt and well supported by Amanda Sim as his girlfriend Lily St Regis.

In reality, there are no bad apples in this cast - everyone plays their part well and the show sparkles as much as Daddy Warbucks' Christmas tree.