Annie Live!

Perfectly paced and anchored by Smith’s star-making breakthrough performance, Annie Live! proved to be a lovely way to spend a Thursday night amidst the busy rush of the holiday season and the general scariness of the world right now.

“Annie Live!,” starring Celina Smith as its optimistic orphan, made its goofy eagerness to be liked, and its occasional raggedness, into assets. The show’s staging allowed songcraft and showmanship to be the stars.

What it lacked in style, "Annie Live!" ultimately made up for in heart, with indelible showtunes and a winning lead performance that left us grinning. And after all, you're never fully dressed without a smile.

Give a lot of credit to NBC’s two winning leads: Celina Smith as the wide-eyed waif Annie and the crooner Harry Connick Jr. as the bossy Daddy Warbucks. The musical’s story remains appealingly simple. ... This show may be dated by design, but when it’s clicking, it can still clear away the cobwebs and the sorrow.

Having a crowd actually watch the show helped overcome one of the raps on this format over the last decade, mounting some memorable shows but struggling to capture the unique qualities of an in-person setting...On the downside, the audience (one suspects with a degree of coaching) sounded a bit too appreciative and enthusiastic, applauding during numbers and carrying on as if this "Annie" was frankly a better show than it is or was.

It was completely fine. Perfectly pleasant, even. Twelve-year-old Celina Smith, who starred as orphan Annie, was clearly the breakout star and often surpassed the singing ability of the adults around her.

Annie isn’t good or bad, it’s just nice. It’s a warm cup of a cocoa-flavored beverage that lacks enough natural ingredients to call itself “chocolate.”