They say never work with children or animals, but this fantastic production of Annie, the story of an 11-year-old orphan, pulls it off with flying colours. The star of the show, Emma Hopkins who plays Annie, is just 12-years-old and made her stage debut at the early age of four.

Annie @ the Alhambra: 'Heartmelting'

Her fellow orphans, provided by the Stage 84 performing arts school in Yorkshire, accompany her on stage to provide a first-class performance for an audience of all ages. The young orphan Molly, played by Caragh Casserly, in particular provides some hilarious comic moments and Sandy, Annie's tail-wagging companion played by Danny the Dog supplied a loveable aspect to the play, especially for the kids.

The considerable collection of memorable songs, such as, 'It's A Hard Knock life', 'You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile' and, of course, the remarkable 'Tomorrow' will have many of the audience members singing for weeks, both adults and children alike.

This story, of poor, little orphan, Annie, who is rescued from a New York orphanage to find a new family, fortune and love proves to be a heart-warming show, not to be missed.

Hi De Hi?: Ruth Madoc in action as Miss Hannigan

Ruth Madoc, star of both stage and screen, and best known for her part in the BBC television comedy Hi-De-Hi, plays the comic villain Miss Hannigan. Excellently portrayed, she had the audience in stitches in numerous scenes, especially with her performance of 'Little Girls' and 'Easy Street'. Then there's Matthew Hewitt fantastically portraying the more unlikeable of the villains, Miss Hannigan's brother Rooster, who also provides some comedy in his disguise as Mr Mudge.

This spectacular production of the classic musical, Annie, melts the hearts of the young and old alike. With only a short stop at Bradford's Alhambra theatre, from the 3rd to the 8th of October, don't miss out on a superb family night out!

This article is user-generated content (i.e. external contribution) expressing a personal opinion, not the views of the BBC West Yorkshire website.