The sun will come out: ‘Annie JR.’ playing next month

Monika Sudakov was, since childhood, a big fan of the Broadway musical “Annie” and figured kids in the Illinois Valley would come to love it as much as she does. Surely, though, the kids would know nothing about “Annie,” right?

Not so. Sudakov is a publicist for River Valley Players and she was stunned when the bulk of schoolkids who auditioned for “Annie Jr.” were thoroughly familiar with the songs including, “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life.”

“Not only are they picking it up fast, but they’re really organized, attentive and enthusiastic to be here, which I think is fantastic,” Sudakov marveled. “Even the kids who don’t know it latch onto it quite naturally. I think it’s partly because they’re familiar with the story and with the music.

“Everybody knows, ‘The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow.’”

The grown-ups at the Henry-based community theater group are taking a back seat this summer to give young students a chance to flash their singing and acting chops. “Annie JR.” is a simplified and condensed version of the story about Little Orphan Annie.

For the uninitiated, “Annie” is about a spunky redhead who suffers in an orphanage under the cruel, alcoholic Miss Hannigan. One day, Annie’s fortunes change when she enters the orbit of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, a rich and influential man who takes a shine to her.

“I do love the story,” said Robert Eckert, who’s directing the show with daughter Christine Gaspardo. “It’s very tenderhearted, it’s loving, it’s humorous and it has a lot of excitement.

“It’s just a great show for the whole family.”

Sutter Dever, a 10-year-old at Henry Senachwine School, said she was familiar with the Broadway songs and embraced the challenge of stepping into a dynamic and vocal character.

“It’s actually pretty fun,” said Sutter, a blonde who’ll be donning a red wig for the show. “You need to know how to sing loud and clearly.”

Sutter is a veteran of the children’s stage and is up to the challenge, but she said she’s never been in a production this large. Co-director Gaspardo said a whopping 65 children auditioned and neither she nor her father could bring themselves to turn one of the aspirants away. Instead, they’ll have an opening and closing chorus to let everyone take part in “Annie JR.”

“We don’t want to tell a child, ‘No, we’re going to cut you,’ because that could be the thing that makes them not want to come back. So we try to find a place for all of them.”

“You want everybody to have the opportunity to explore their talents,” Sudakov said. “Not everybody’s going to get a huge part, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have an important role to play in this show.”

“Annie JR.” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. July 25 and 26 and at 2 p.m. July 27 at the Henry Community Center, 1301 Second St. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at https://www.rvphenry.org/tickets or by phone at 309-238-7878.

“Annie JR.” is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theater International. Annie JR. is partially funded by a grant from the Sun Foundation and Illinois Arts Council.

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From left) Nora Glenn, Ryen Pettett, Ruby Stash, Sutter Dever, Gwynevere Maddex and Sophia Smith rehearse a scene for the upcoming musical Annie Jr. on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at the First United Methodist Church in Henry. The show will be presented July 25-27 at the River Valley Players theater in Henry, . (Scott Anderson)