Cape Cod actor plays Rooster Hannigan in 'Annie' national tour

Local theater star Jeffrey Kelly returns to Massachusetts not as a Cape Cod actor but as Rooster Hannigan in the national tour of “Annie” for a five-night run at the Boch Center-Wang Theater in Boston at the start of February.

“I'm very excited to grab some Tasty Burger because it's been a minute,” Kelly joked. “No, I'm very excited to go back to a city that I love and be surrounded by the supportive people who have been there since the start. It's gonna be a lot of fun.”

The show is the first national tour Kelly has starred on and its stint in Boston — Feb. 6 to 11 — marks the first time he’ll perform on a Beantown stage.

“I was in the Boston University drumline in 2010 and 11 so it's going to be fun to be back towards that area,” he said.

Living in Marstons Mills, Kelly began his acting journey in middle school as a way of hanging out with a friend of his who was involved in the theater. His “passion” soon gave out and despite a few high school theater appearances, Kelly didn’t return to the stage until he was 23 at Cape Cod Community College.

He had met Brian Rice, technical director of Cape Cod Community College, who helped him secure a few drumming gigs. One day, Kelly said, Rice came into a practice room he was using and asked if he wanted to be in “Macbeth.”

Kelly took on the role of Macbeth's foil, Banquo, in the Shakespearian tragedy before switching to lighter fare on Cape Cod stages from Provincetown to Woods Hole.

What shows has Jeffrey Kelley performed in on Cape Cod?

“I really enjoyed musical theater so I kind of just started doing it out of nowhere and kept doing it because I just really enjoyed it so much,” he said.

Kelly's roles on Cape stages included starring in several productions — including “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” at Falmouth Theatre Guild; “Next to Normal” at Woods Hole Community Theater and "Hair” with Peregrine Theatre Ensemble in Provincetown in 2018. Off-Cape shows included the off-Broadway production of “Friends: The Musical Parody,” “Jersey Boys” and “Million Dollar Quarter.”

“When I look back at some of the shows that are on my resume that were formative towards my professional career, I would definitely say that ‘Next to Normal’ and ‘Hair’ are two big ones that I was kind of blown away,” he said. “I tend to like shows that have a bit more (of) an edge to them .… Those shows resonated with me as a performer.”

While performing in “Jersey Boys” in Memphis, Kelly began submitting material for “Annie” after someone he knew in the show asked if he was interested in being part of it. He landed the role of Rooster Hannigan — brother of Miss Hannigan and boyfriend of Lily St. Regis.

“The more I worked on the material, the more I fell in love with the show because I really didn't know what to expect from 'Annie,'” he said. “It's easily one of my favorite shows that I've ever done.”

With over 100 shows completed on his first national tour, I asked Kelly what some of the challenges have been adjusting to life on the road. He said though it’s more shows than he’s normally used to, it’s been a rewarding and exciting experience.

“On the one hand, it is somewhat exhausting going around the country so much and playing all these different venues,” Kelly said. “As soon as you get used to one venue, you all of a sudden need to pack up and go to the next. But honestly, it is a very good fatigue. You're there doing the work, so it kind of fuels the tank a bit because everything is always constantly so fresh and keeping you on your toes.”

Director Jenn Thompson takes 'Annie' tour back to 1977 roots

Before being Rooster, Kelly admitted that he hadn’t seen any rendition of “Annie” until after the tour started — an intentional choice to avoid mimicking the performances of past Roosters like Tim Curry (1982 film adaptation) and Alan Cumming (1999 film adaptation.)

“They were doing specific things with it and I didn't want to accidentally start to emulate that and Jenn (Thompson) had her own spins on how she wanted me to approach Rooster,” he said. “She wanted a much more James Cagney-esque version … So I intentionally didn't do any research on the previous Roosters."

As for working with Thompson, director of the “Annie” National Tour and the actress who played “Pepper” in the 1977 original Broadway production, Kelly applauded the direction in which she chose to take the play, saying it emphasizes the historical context surrounding Annie’s life and harkens back to the original.

“I think what she wanted to do with this production more than anything else was she wanted to have it be a much more grounded, realistic version of Annie,” Kelly said. “I think a lot of productions have gone over the top and the script has gone through multiple changes over the years but she brought it back down to a very honest level.”

Plus, the deep love Thompson has for the show guided them through the process leading up to going on tour.

“She has so much experience and love for the show that she brought to the table,” Kelly said. “It was infectious and really kind of carried to each of us and made the process I think that much more fun and alive. It's always great when you have a director who knows what they're doing, but then also very much loves and cares for the show that they are directing.”

“Annie” comes to the Wang Theater from Feb. 6 to 11. Tickets range from $69 to $269 and can be bought online at www.bochcenter.org/. The show is directed by Jenn Thompson, choreographed by Patricia Wilcox and orchestrated by Dan DeLange. Talitha Fehr is the music coordinator and Jennifer Christina is the music director.

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 'Annie' comes to Boston with Cape Cod actor Jeffrey Kelly as Rooster