Patch Talk: ‘Annie’ Stars for Village Players Talk About Their Dream Role

For Virigina Stacy, it was a dream role for a young girl.

Taylyn Olney understands the sentiment because she, too, played the title role in this winter’s staging of “Annie” the musical, based on the comic strip character of Little Orphan Annie.

The play was double-cast, which means twice the number of orphan roles for twice the number of kids to get a chance to shine on stage.

That’s one of the bedrocks of community theater, to turn residents of all ages on to the arts by involving kids, starting at a young age, to star in productions alongside adults, and often with their own family members.

Brandon Patch had an opportunity to talk to both Stacy and Olney about the coveted role of “Annie,” and what they take with them from the experience of bringing to the stage the musical over a three-weekend run in December, at the James McCabe Theater in Valrico.

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BRANDON PATCH: It goes without saying it’s a coveted role, but why did you want to play the role of Annie?

• OLNEY: It’s a big part and it’s a big singing role.

• STACY: Because I really, really, love all of her songs. My favorite? That’s hard, I don’t have just one, but [if I had to say] its “All Together at Last,” because it’s really fun and I get to be happy.

BRANDON PATCH: And what’s your favorite song, Taylyn?

• OLNEY: My favorite song is “Easy Street,” because it’s the most fun song to sing. It’s fun whenever the big cast is on stage together and I’m sitting in the audience watching it [while Stacy is on stage in rehearsals as Annie].

BRANDON PATCH: What about your favorite song that you sing?

• OLNEY: Probably “Tomorrow.” It’s a song about happiness, that everything will be better by tomorrow.

BRANDON PATCH: What’s Annie like?

• OLNEY: In the movie she’s like a tough gal. In this show she’s more like in the Disney movie, where she’s nice and tries to help people.

BRANDON PATCH: What’s your review of Thom Miller, as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, the wildy wealthy man who gives Annie a home and who, in turn, learns from Annie how money can’t fill that void of emptiness in a life without love.

• STACY: He does a really good job. He’s good at singing and acting.

• OLNEY: I’ve been in other shows with Thom, and we’ve bonded a little over things, but I’ve gotten to know him even more since he’s gotten the role of Daddy Warbucks. Now I feel like he could be my second father. He is really good. I enjoy acting with him. He’s a good singer, a good actor and he’s really funny. But he won’t shave his head. [Miller on stage, however, sported a very short, cropped hairstyle.]

BRANDON PATCH: Why is Annie such a good character to bring to life on the stage?

• STACY: She always helps the young orphans out. She’s always nice and never mean and she always sees the bright side to everything.

BRANDON PATCH: You’re favorite part about “Annie?”

• STACY: It’s just so happy and it’s fun.

BRANDON PATCH: This isn’t your first time on stage. What other shows have you been in?

• STACY: I was a spatula in “Beauty and the Beast” and I was in “Honk” with the Florida Academy of the Performing Arts [FAOPA, in residence at Music Showcase in Brandon]. I also was in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” also with [FAOPA].

• OLNEY: I was Brigitta in “The Sound of Music” and I was a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz.” That was exciting. I was scared at first. I didn’t want to go on stage. I was crying in the car, throwing up in the car, I did not want to get up in front of all those people. And then my mom finally convinced me to do it after all this driving, from Valrico to Lakeland. When I was finished I felt I could do it again. It was really fun.

BRANDON PATCH: With that patch of stage fright behind you, what is it you want to be when you grow up?

• OLNEY: Well, an actress, duh! And a basketball player.

BRANDON PATCH: And if that doesn’t work out, is there a Plan C?

• OLNEY: Plan C, if nothing works out? I guess I’ll be a journalist.

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