But all you need do is let a little orphan girl called Annie clamber up onto the White House table and sing "The sun will come out tomorrow" - and it will.

It worked for President Franklin D Roosevelt, it seems, and it's certainly working for the audiences at Southampton's Mayflower this week.

The show is irresistible, a terrific couple of hours of wishful thinking during which little orphan Annie's relentless optimism touches absolutely everyone.

At the heart of the show is a great story, the tale of an ever-hopeful foundling who gets the surrogate family she deserves.

And in this particular production, it's a story given full value by some excellent performances, not least David McAlister as Daddy Warbucks, the mega-rich businessman who learns that there's more to life than making money once Annie enters his life.

Ruth Madoc is also great fun as the gin-soaked Miss Hannigan, the ghastly head of the orphanage Annie grows up in.

But stealing the show, exactly as she should, is 11-year-old Ellen Gallagher, delivering a quite remarkable performance as Annie herself.
Ellen hits exactly the right note, not just in the singing but also in her portrayal of a girl who could so easily become just a little nauseating. In Gallagher's hands, she's strong yet vulnerable and sunny without being sickly - the perfect centrepiece for a great night out.

Phil Hewitt