My overall impression
Annabella is a beautiful and tragic story told by some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen at Fringe, or in L.A. theatre in general. The story is nuanced and captivating and the music is simply spectacular.
The voices are simply effortless from all the actors even when singing incredibly complicated harmonies every note was spot-on perfect. The music is so moving and haunting that I wish there was a soundtrack to download – I would listen to it over and over!
There are many musicals at Fringe that rely on gimmicks or pop-culture references to get people into the seats. I’ve seen those kinds of shows in the past and they were fun and hilarious and some of my favorite Fringe shows! But Annabella is a legitimate tour-de-force that is simply elevated to even greater heights by its magnificent cast.
I have heard that Annabella is a prequel to a musical by the same writing team. I left the show desperately hoping to see the next in the series next year.
