Polmont family will take to the stage together for Annie performance

A talented family from Polmont will get the chance to perform together in the same musical next month when they all star in a production of Annie.
Annie production featuring Beattie family, mum Hazel and daughters April and VioletAnnie production featuring Beattie family, mum Hazel and daughters April and Violet
Annie production featuring Beattie family, mum Hazel and daughters April and Violet

Mum Hazel Beattie, who works as arts development officer of performing arts for the Falkirk Community Trust, will star alongside daughters April (13) and Violet (10) in the musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

She will also tackle roles in Jesus Christ Superstar and Rabbie while her two daughters will feature in Whistle Down the Wind, a production based on the novel by Mary Hayley Bell.

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For mum Hazel, one of the highlights of a busy month will be getting to perform with her family once more in Annie, after a successful production last year.

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She said: “Last year it was so nice to see Violet and April grow in confidence, and they enjoyed us being together and performing together throughout the summer.

“It seemed to be popular with the audience, so much so that we have doubled the amount of shows we are doing this year which means it will run throghout the Fringe.”

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After a smaller role last year, April will play titular character Annie herself, sharing the big role with two others throughout the month-long run.

Hazel said: “April is really keen to take on a bigger role. We start rehearsals this week and she is very excited to get started.

“Her and Violet, who plays one of the orphans, have enjoyed the first three weeks off school for the summer catching up with friends, but they have so much fun doing this for the rest of the summer.

“They get on really well with the cast and meet new friends. It’s a great experience for them.”

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The girls will play children in the chorus of Whistle Down the Wind, while mum Hazel will be even busier throughout August.

She will have only a half-hour turnaround every day going from her evil character Miss Hannigan in Annie to her roles in the other two shows, which will each run for half of the Fringe.

The productions will all be staged by Captivate Theatre at the Gilded Balloon Rose Theatre, which was newly opened last year when the Beattie family first starred together in Annie.

Hazel said: “It’s a great venue for the shows. There was an excitement about the venue, coming in somewhere fresh, and this year there have been even further renovations.

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“Rabbie is a very intimate show and works well in the basement setting, while Annie is a bigger production and really suits the main stage area.”

Hazel plays the character Peggy in Rabbie, a play about the life of Robert Burns, while she will also take on the role of Annas in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Annie will run throughout the Fringe from August 3 to 27, while April will play the titular role on August 5, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22 and 25.

Tickets are available here.