Original Broadway dog stars in Flint's 'Annie;' a floor is born

Original Broadway dog stars in Flint's 'Annie;' a floor is born

RICH QUACKENBUSH

THEATER - The touring version of “Annie,” opening the Star Theatre of Flint season this week, features one member of the original Broadway cast.

No, it’s not Reid Shelton, the University of Michigan graduate who was the first Daddy Warbucks in the musical.

No, it’s not Andrea McArdle, the original “Annie,” who outgrew the role after just one year.

And no, it’s not the Tony Award-winning Dorothy Loudon, the original Miss Hannigan; funny lady Martha Raye plays that part in Flint.

It’s none other than Sandy the dog, the mutt who sometimes seems to be poor little Orphan Annie’s only friend.

Sandy and the gang move into Flint’s Whiting Auditorium in time to open an eight-performance run on Tuesday.

Show times for “Annie” are at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. next Sunday. Matinees are scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday and next Sunday.

Admission is set at $12.50 for adults and $6.25 for those under 18. A special $9.50 senior citizens admission has been established for the Saturday matinee and both Sunday shows.

For complete details, call 1-239-1464.

DANCE - The Performance Network at 408 W. Washington has a lot going for it, so much that it has become the core of what might be called an artists’ colony on the city’s Old West Side.

What it hasn’t had, however, is a dance floor, which is now being built and will be used for the first time next weekend.

That’s when a group of 20 Ann Arbor dancers and choreographers led by Kathy Gantz Morse are planning two performances meant to raise the money to pay for the floor.

For this benefit, being staged at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Network, the dancers are contributing their work, the Network is donating performance space and the labor to build the floor, and Synergy Creative and Healing Arts Center advanced the money for flooring materials.

The weekend performances, two different programs, will feature modern, jazz, tap, ballet, and ethnic dance.

Admission to the programs, being cosponsored by the Washtenaw Council for the Arts, is $4.50.

For complete details, call 663-0681 or 769-7838.

ART - For those who want to put a little art in their summer, the Ann Arbor Art Association is offering a series of summer workshops for just about every taste and age group.

These two-week workshops, scheduled for July 11-22, July 25-Aug. 5, and Aug. 8-19, are designed with variety in mind. The media represented by adult-oriented classes include textile printing, weaving, calligraphy, painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, and sculpture.

For children starting at age 6, morning classes will offer the opportunity to make animals and puppets, experiment with clay, or design cartoons.

The cost of children’s classes ranges from $17 to $28. Adult sessions range from $21 to $49.

The Art Association is located at 117 W. Liberty.

For more information, call 994-8004.