Yes, you read that right! Vaudeville Theatre Company will bring you another musical treat and take you to Annie’s world on the 17th and 18th of October 2020.
Save the date.
We bring Cebuano talents to the spotlight.
Annie The Musical 2020
We bring Cebuano talents to the spotlight.
Yes, you read that right! Vaudeville Theatre Company will bring you another musical treat and take you to Annie’s world on the 17th and 18th of October 2020.
Save the date.
| Gender | Male |
| Part Size | Ensemble |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | policeman suspicious authoritative ensemble role featured |
| Analysis | An NYPD officer, he is suspicious of Annie when he sees her with Sandy, the dog. He has Annie prove to him that Sandy is her dog by asking her to call the dog by name. He is also responsible for breaking up the Hooverville and bringing Annie back to the orphanage. |
| Gender | Either Male or Female |
| Part Size | Ensemble |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | animal dog companion animal |
| Analysis | Annie’s loveable mutt, typically played by a real dog. Sandy gets his name from his beige coloring. Initially a stray until rescued by Annie, who pretends to be Sandy’s owner. Sandy gets a lot of stage time and must be easily trainable and good with children. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Ensemble |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | character laundry man flirty alcoholic ensemble role featured |
| Analysis | Bundles McCloskey is a laundry man who delivers fresh sheets to the orphanage once a month. Miss Hannigan asks him to have egg foo yung with her on Christmas. He unwittingly assists Annie’s escape from the orphanage when she sneaks into his laundry bag. |
| Gender | Either Male or Female |
| Age Range | Adult, Mature Adult |
| Part Size | Ensemble |
| Voice | Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | policeman radio actor homeless bum dog catcher new york |
| Analysis | Child-60’s Children in the ensemble can play nameless orphans in the orphanage, as well as appear as New Yorkers in the song “NYC.” The adult ensemble of Annie plays many roles throughout the course of the show. They begin as despondent residents of the destitute Hooverville on the river, but must later step into roles such as the cheery and efficient Warbucks’ servants, Policemen, Dog Catchers, and general New Yorkers who cross paths in the song, “NYC.” Select older members of the ensemble also double as members of FDR’s cabinet and staff of Bert Healy’s radio show. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz tap servant maid french maid |
| Analysis | A French maid, she is assigned to make Annie’s bed while she is staying with Warbucks. She thinks that Annie would like the satin sheets. She is mentioned in the song, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Baritone |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | tap servant butler major-domo in charge kind supportive amused |
| Analysis | The English butler, he brings in Annie’s tray when she wakes up. He is mentioned in the song, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” He is a kindly fixture in the Warbucks’ household, always eager to help, and grows as attached to Annie as the rest of his fellow staff. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz tap servant maid french maid |
| Analysis | A French maid, she is assigned to pick out Annie’s clothes while she is staying with Warbucks. She thinks that blue is Annie’s best color. She is mentioned in the song, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | servant cook |
| Analysis | The Cook, she takes away Annie’s tray when she is done with it. She is mentioned in the song, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | servant housekeeper |
| Analysis | The Housekeeper, she is assigned to draw Annie’s bath. She has decided that soap, not bubbles, are best. She is mentioned in the song, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Young Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | D#5 / Eb5 |
| Low Note | A#3 / Bb3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | actress ingenue hopeful optimistic |
| Analysis | A young actress who has just moved to New York City, she is featured in the song “N.Y.C.” and sings about her hopeful view on her future with the theatre. |
| Songs | NYC |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Alto |
| High Note | C5 |
| Low Note | C3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | disillusioned poor depression apple-annie ensemble role featured featured solo |
| Analysis | Apple Annie sort of woman in the Hooverville, She is cooking a stew over a fire when she meets Annie, She describes the disillusionment of the people affected by the fall of the Stock Market in 1929. Sophie has a solo in the song, “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover.” |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Baritone |
| High Note | F4 |
| Low Note | C3 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | u.s. cabinet member worried hesitant politician |
| Analysis | A member of FDR’s cabinet, he is the Secretary of the Treasury. Joins Annie in singing “Tomorrow” after some of the other cabinet members have been encouraged to sing by FDR. Played by an ensemble member who steps into role in second act. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult, Mature Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | supreme court justice wedding officiant |
| Analysis | Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, he is called in by Warbucks to assist with adoption papers for Annie, but he is interrupted by the arrival of Rooster and Lily disguised as Annie’s “parents”, Ralph and Shirley Mudge. A small appearance for a member of the ensemble in the second act. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | A5 |
| Low Note | C4 (Middle C) |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | u.s. cabinet member female politician firm concerned |
| Analysis | A member of FDR’s cabinet, she is the Secretary of Labor and the first woman to be appointed to the United States Cabinet. She joins in singing “Tomorrow” second, after Ickes. Played by a woman from the ensemble who takes on the extra role in the second act. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult, Mature Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Baritone |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | u.s. cabinet member worried politician |
| Analysis | A member of FDR’s cabinet, he is the Secretary of State. He sings “Tomorrow” in the cabinet meeting with the other cabinet members. A part for an ensemble man to step into in the second act. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Baritone |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | advisor friend manager kind politician |
| Analysis | Political Advisor and Campaign Manager for FDR and sings “Tomorrow” with the president’s cabinet.Played by an ensemble member who takes on the additional part in the second act. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Baritone |
| High Note | F4 |
| Low Note | C3 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | u.s. cabinet member pessimistic worried politician |
| Analysis | A member of FDR’s cabinet, he is the Secretary of the Interior. Initially discouraged by what the country needs to overcome, he is the first to join Annie in singing “Tomorrow” after she wins FDR’s cabinet over. Played by an ensemble man doubling parts in the second act. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Baritone |
| High Note | G4 |
| Low Note | A#3 / Bb3 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | president franklin d. roosevelt fdr the new deal optimist kind |
| Analysis | The 32nd President of the United States, in his first hundred days in office instituted “The New Deal”. Known for his signature quote, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He remains optimistic in the face of the Great Depression plaguing the country, inspired by the cheery outlook of the irrepressibly optimistic orphan Annie who sits in on a cabinet meeting with billionaire Mr. Warbucks. She helps him turn the country around and, in turn, he helps her discover the whereabouts of her parents and unite her with Mr. Warbucks permanently. This character is wheelchair bound, so the physicality of the part is limited to the upper body. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Soprano |
| High Note | F#5 / Gb5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Legit |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | trio andrews sisters |
| Analysis | A group of singing sisters who appear on the radio show “The Oxydent Hour of Smiles, starring Bert Healy.” The sisters, Ronnie, Connie, and Bonnie, add three-part harmony to “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile,” the song that closes each show. Each of the sisters sings a different part but which sister sings each part can be specified at the discretion of the musical director. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Spoken |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | puppeteer ventriloquist comedic |
| Analysis | A Ventriloquist, who appears on “The Oxydent Hour of Smiles, starring Bert Healy”, with his Dummy, Wacky. This actor must possess comedic chops in order to converse with himself, as he must lend his voice to the puppet. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Featured |
| Dancing | Non Dancer |
| Voice | Tenor |
| High Note | F#4 / Gb4 |
| Low Note | C2 (Low C) |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | radio announcer crooner star cheesy |
| Analysis | A charismatic radio announcer. He is the Star of “The Oxydent Hour of Smiles, starring Bert Healy.” Sings “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” at the end of each of his shows. Grows annoyed at Warbucks when he reads all of the stage-directions in the radio script aloud. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan child small shy quiet |
| Analysis | Age 7, she is next to littlest orphan. She is very shy and never speaks. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan child shy quiet teen pre-teen nurturing |
| Analysis | Age 13, she is the quietest girl in the orphanage. Despite being so soft-spoken, she is very nurturing and motherly to the other orphans. She gets into a fight with Pepper while defending Molly. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan leader child eldest teen pre-teen |
| Analysis | Age 13, she is the biggest and tallest orphan. She often hangs around Pepper, but is everyone’s friend. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan bully tomboy child pre-teen |
| Analysis | Age 12, she is the toughest orphan, unafraid to speak her mind. She pushes Molly on the floor when she wakes up crying for her mother; she has no sympathy for her fellow orphans who have trouble accepting their situation and is generally pessimistic about her future. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan child youngest |
| Analysis | Age 6, the littlest orphan, she cries out for her mother in the middle of the night. She seeks comfort from Annie, asking to hear Annie’s note from her parents often as a means of hope for a family of her own. Strong personality. She holds out a rat in front of Miss Hannigan’s face. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Soprano |
| High Note | G5 |
| Low Note | D4 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz vaudeville dumb blonde ditzy floozy shady greedy brooklyn accent new york accent |
| Analysis | Rooster Hannigan’s girlfriend, she is not the brightest tool in the shed. She is very proud of her last name — the same as the famous St. Regis hotel — although there is no relation. She pretends to be Annie’s mother — Shirley Mudge — so that she can claim the reward money. She never acts as the leader, and usually follows Rooster in tripping over her own feet. Always distracted, but always manages to pick up on conversations pertaining to money. Typically played with a Brooklyn accent. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Tenor |
| High Note | G4 |
| Low Note | B2 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz dance con-man greasy manipulative brother wayward greedy dishonest |
| Analysis | Brother to Miss Hannigan. Flashy and self-assured. An egotistical flirt. He has a long history of fraud, and like his sister, always tries to create the best situation for himself with as little effort as possible. He grew up very disadvantaged and carries a chip on his shoulder, trying to cheat his way to what he believes the world owes him with little to no sense of morality. He is a con-man who pretends to be Annie’s father — Ralph Mudge — so that he can claim the reward money. It is revealed that his full name is Daniel Francis Hannigan and is also known as Danny the Dip, a nickname earned through his past reprobate conduct. To play this role, an actor must exude a sleazy self-importance unflappable through any circumstance. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Supporting |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan child cry-baby |
| Analysis | Age 10, she is known as the cry-baby and is constantly saying, “Oh my goodness!” She is very sensitive to conflict, and wants the orphanage to be calm. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult |
| Part Size | Lead |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Soprano |
| High Note | G5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Legit |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | motherly calm graceful mature classy secretary genteel orderly businesslike clever amused |
| Analysis | 20’s-mid 30’s. Oliver Warbucks’ secretary, mature, calm, cool, and very nurturing, she goes to the orphanage to choose an orphan to stay with Mr. Warbucks for Christmas and is captivated by Annie’s spunk. She is the mother figure to Annie, and always shows her the utmost kindness, buying her a coat when she doesn’t have one and helping her settle in to the foreign atmosphere of Mr. Warbucks’ mansion. She is named ‘Grace’ for a reason, and when she enters a room she always brings order to the chaos, effectively running Mr. Warbucks household while he is away and keeping his life in order. She often seems to know better than even him, bringing him Annie when he requested a boy. . She has the utmost class and remains business like in her dealings with Miss Hannigan and Warbucks, knowing how to motivate the person she is speaking to in order to get things done without seeming overbearing or losing her tactfulness. Throughout the show, she grows closer to Annie, and is instrumental in helping Warbucks keep Annie away from the clutches of the greedy Miss Hannigan, the head of the orphanage, and her criminal brother, Rooster, by orchestrating her adoption and recognizing Rooster after running into him while retrieving Miss Hannigan’s signature. By the end of the musical, Grace has grown to love Annie as much as Mr, Warbucks, and the three of them form a family unit. The actress who plays Grace must infuse the character with poise, benevolence, and warmth. |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Adult, Mature Adult |
| Part Size | Lead |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Alto |
| High Note | D5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Vocal Technique | Belting |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | alcoholic matron hungover abusive mean sister hateful comic character role insulting flirtatious drunk female lead star vehicle (female) |
| Analysis | The orphanage matron. Annie’s nemesis. A has-been. She hates her job, and hates children even more so, especially Annie because Annie refuses to be cowed by her threats and poor treatment. She is a mean-spirited woman who keeps the orphans busy by sewing dresses and cleaning, forcing them to scrub the orphanage until it “shines like the top of the Chrysler building” or they will face being hit with the paddle. Miss Hannigan is happiest when listening to romantic radio dramas and drinking alcohol alone in her office, due to her discontent with her life. She flirts with all the men she comes into contact with, Bundles, Lt. Ward, and Warbucks, hoping they will rescue her from her life: Miss Hannigan is dishonest, underhanded, and selfish– always trying to find a way to make life easier for herself and live life on “Easy Street”. When she hears that Mr. Warbucks, the billionaire who took Annie in for Christmas, is offering a reward to find Annie’s long-lost parents, she, along with her brother Rooster and his girlfriend, Lily, hatch a plan to trick Warbucks in believing that Annie’s parents are Ralph and Shirley Mudge — a disguised Rooster and Lily — in order to swindle him out of the $ $50,000. And when she gets caught, she has no scruples about trying to convince Annie to lie to save her. The role of Miss Hannigan requires a character actress with a convincing mean streak and good comedic timing to deliver wry quips with aplomb. |
| Songs | Little Girls |
| Gender | Female |
| Age Range | Child |
| Part Size | Lead |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Mezzo-Soprano |
| High Note | F5 |
| Low Note | A3 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | jazz musical staging tap orphan child comic strip character redhead street-smart streetwise adopted tough pre-teen optimistic optimist hopeful leader friendly |
| Analysis | Age 11, she is a redheaded, tough, streetwise orphan girl. Always optimistic, while living in the run-down orphanage run by the mean-spirited Miss Hannigan, she constantly references a note her parents left her promising to return for her and refuses to believe that her parents forgot about her at the orphanage. All she desires is a loving home and parents to care for her. As a result, she is constantly trying to escape the orphanage in hopes to find them, succeeding once in getting out, but returning after the police find her using her effervescent charm on residents of a poverty-stricken Hooverville. She is at times aggressive and shrewd, but at all times friendly and caring. All these traits come to play when she craftily convinces Grace Farrell, the secretary to the billionaire Mr. Oliver Warbucks, to pick her to stay at his mansion. Soon after arriving at the Warbucks mansion, Annie has everyone there wrapped around her finger owing to her refreshing zest for life and irrepressible optimism — the staff, Mr. Warbucks, and even the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom she meets when she tags along with Mr. Warbucks to a meeting of the president’s cabinet. In her search for the elusive family she has envisioned, she recruits Mr. Warbucks to locate her parents with the locket they left her. However, as she grows closer to Mr. Warbucks, she starts to reconsider her idea of family and begins to see him as a father figure. When she thinks she has found her parents, she can clearly see how much she has come to love being a part of Mr. Warbucks’ home, and finally realizes she has found her family in the people who found her and took her in. Annie must be played by a child with a strong stage presence and youthful charm. A high, child-like belt is also critical in this role. |
| Songs | Tomorrow, It’s a Hard Knock Life, Maybe |
| Gender | Male |
| Age Range | Mature Adult |
| Part Size | Lead |
| Dancing | Mover |
| Voice | Baritone |
| High Note | F4 |
| Low Note | C3 |
| Show | Annie |
| Time & Place | December, 1933, New York City, White House |
| Tags | father figure wealthy billionaire businessman affluent workaholic tender side powerful decisive no nonsense |
| Analysis | Late 40s/early 50s. A billionaire businessman, self-assured and confident. He is a stereotypical ”rich man” who is used to the deference of others, issuing orders and expecting them to be fulfilled with the drop of a hat. He is powerful and decisive, as befits his status, even ordering the Mona Lisa to be hung in his bathroom because it doesn’t suit his fancy. However, his hard-earned status and privilege have proved isolating, especially because it is now the Great Depression and the disparity of wealth between himself and a large portion of the country has widened. He has grown jaded after fighting his way up the corporate ladder from a childhood in Hell’s Kitchen, and his loneliness and dissatisfaction with his life at the top of the income bracket has caused him to put up an abrasive front to those who he employs and associates with. Beneath his hard exterior, though, is a soft heart that leads him to invite an orphan into his home for the Christmas holidays. In spite of his intentions to keep his distance, this offer leads to his meeting Annie, the spunky, optimistic eleven-year-old girl who turns his life around. At first, he tries to ignore her pleas for his attention, but he soon softens and grows fond of her sunny attitude. He is so charmed, in fact, that he is willing to adopt her, but, when he finds out that Annie’s parents may still be alive, he throws all his power and influence into trying to locate them though he does not want to. Through meeting Annie and almost losing her to unscrupulous cons who are after his money, he is driven to reassess his life, finally realizing that it is not money, but people that you care for that ultimately make you happy. His newfound generosity lead him to help Annie’s friends from the orphanage, aids in inspiring the New Deal that turns the United States around during the Depression, and earns him the title of “Daddy Warbucks” bestowed upon him by his newly adopted daughter, Annie. This leading role requires an actor with an air of self-assurance and maturity, as well as the ability to show vulnerability through a gruff exterior. |
| Songs | Something Was Missing |
Annie is based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, “Little Orphan Annie”, which ran in the New York Daily News beginning in the 1920s and, by the 30s and 40s, was one of the most widely read comic strips around. Lyricist Martin Charnin was given a book of “Little Orphan Annie” comic strips as a Christmas gift in 1971, and was inspired to create a musical comedy based on the main character.
The idea was pitched to Tony-winning composer Charles Strouse and a short story writer for the New Yorker, Thomas Meehan. With a full writing team assembled, the show was written in just fourteen months. The road to Broadway, however, would ultimately take four years, due to a lack of interest from producers.
Annie first premiered on August 10, 1976, at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. Kristen Vigard was initially cast in the title role. However, producers felt that her portrayal was too sweet for a street-smart orphan. After one week, Vigard was replaced by Andrea McArdle, who was originally cast in the role of Pepper.
The production moved to the Kennedy Center in Washington, and ultimately opened at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway on April 21, 1977. The cast featured Andrea McArdle as Annie, Reid Shelton as Daddy Warbucks, Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan, and Sandy Faison as Grace Farrell. On Broadway, Annie proved highly successful: it was nominated for eleven Tony awards, and won seven of them, including Best Musical. The show closed on January 2, 1983, after a total of 2,377 performances, holding the record for the longest-running show at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre), until it was surpassed in 2009 by Hairspray. During the original Broadway run, there were four touring companies launched. The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre on May 3, 1978. The show ran for three years and closed after a total of 1,485 performances. A 1997 Broadway revival to commemorate the 20th anniversary played at the Martin Beck Theatre. Unfortunately, controversy surrounding the casting of Annie, paired with negative reviews, forced the performance to close after just 14 previews and 239 performances. A West End revival also took place at the Victoria Palace, running from September 30, 1998 to February 28, 1999.
In a 2000 Australian tour played in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Anthony Warlow starred as Daddy Warbucks. A new song, “Why Should I Change a Thing?” was written for Warlow, which is now included as an optional number in the licensed script. The most recent Broadway revival began previews on October 3, 2012 at the Palace Theatre starring Lilla Crawford in the title role, with notable replacements including Jane Lynch and Faith Prince as Miss Hannigan. It closed on January 5, 2014 after 38 previews and 487 regular performances.
Annie has been adapted to film four times. The 1982 Oscar-nominated film starred Albert Finney as Warbucks, Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan, Bernadette Peters as Lily, and Tim Curry as Rooster. A 1999 TV-movie adaptation featured Victor Garber, Kathy Bates, Kristin Chenoweth, and Alan Cumming, and a modern day reworking debuted in 2014, with Annie (young Academy Award nominee, Quvenzhane Wallis) now living with foster mother Miss Hannigan (played by Cameron Diaz) before going to spend time with billionaire Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) to help improve his image in his bid for mayor of New York City; the film only used some of the songs from the original show, updating them to a more urban feel.
Also available from MTI are Annie, Jr., a 60-minute, one-act version for young performers; Annie KIDS, a 30-minute version, and Annie Warbucks, a sequel to the original, featuring a new book by Thomas Meehan, and score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin.
It is early December 1933, shortly after 3:00 AM. In the New York City Municipal Orphanage, the littlest orphan, Molly (age 6), cries out for her mother. The other orphans in the room — Kate, the next to littlest, who is 7; Tessie, the cry baby, who is 10; Pepper, the toughest, who is 12; July, the quietest, who is 13; and Duffy, the biggest, who is 13 — wake up and a fight ensues between Pepper and July. Annie, who is 11, has been up cleaning and breaks up the fight. She comforts Molly with the note that her parents left her when she was left at the orphanage. It says that she was “born on October 28th. We will be back to get her soon. We have left half of a silver locket around her neck and kept the other half so that when we come back for her you will know that she’s our baby.” Molly tells Annie that she dreams of having parents again but that Annie is lucky because she really has parents (“Maybe”).
As a far-away church bell chimes 4:00 AM, Annie decides that she will make another attempt to run-away from the orphanage and find her parents. As she gets close to the front door, Miss Hannigan, the orphanage matron, appears and catches her in the act. For Annie’s disobedience, Miss Hannigan orders all the orphans to scrub the floor, strip their beds and “clean this dump until it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building” (“It's the Hard Knock Life”). Miss Hannigan soon returns, blowing her whistle despite her huge hangover, to inspect the room. As the orphans line-up next to their beds, Annie is hatching another plan to run-away. Bundles McCloskey, a laundry man, has arrived to deliver a load of clean sheets. When Miss Hannigan flirts with Bundles and invites him to eat egg foo yung in Chinatown on Christmas, Annie sneaks into his laundry bag. He leaves the orphanage with Annie in tow (“It's the Hard Knock Life – Reprise”). That afternoon, on a street corner at St Mark’s Place, Annie notices two dog catchers in pursuit of stray dogs and finds Sandy, a dog searching for food in the garbage pail. She signals for the dog to come and ensures him that they both won’t get caught (“Tomorrow”).
Lt. Ward, suspicious about Annie being Sandy’s owner, asks her to call the dog to see if it will answer to his name. After a third try, Sandy answers to her and Lt. Ward tells her to have a leash and a license the next time he sees her.
At dusk, Annie and Sandy find themselves in a Hooverville, a Depression-style shanty town of jerry rigged shacks at the edge of the East River, underneath the 59th Street Bridge. Annie asks the Hooverville-ites if they have seen her parents. Sophie, an Apple Annie sort of woman, tells Annie that there is nothing to be optimistic about, given their situation (“We'd Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover”). As they return to their chores, Lt. Ward tells the “bums to move out” and the police break up the Hooverville.
Back at the Orphanage, Miss Hannigan is blowing her whistle at the orphans telling them, “that’s all the fresh air you get for the month.” Meanwhile, the orphans tell her that Molly threw up on her “favorite shiny satin pillow from Coney Island” and Kate holds a dead mouse to her face. Frustrated, Miss Hannigan orders them back to work and sings about her distaste for them (“Little Girls”).
As Miss Hannigan settles in to listen to her radio show, Lt. Ward arrives to return Annie, informing her that she was found in a Hooverville with a dog that got away. After Lt. Ward leaves, Annie is left in Miss Hannigan’s office when Grace Farrell, secretary to Oliver Warbucks, arrives. Grace tells Miss Hannigan that Warbucks would like to invite an orphan to spend the Christmas holidays at his home.
Annie manipulates the conversation by getting Grace to tell Miss Hannigan that Warbucks in interested in having an 11-year-old red-headed child. Miss Hannigan is reluctant to let Annie go until Grace tells her that she is aware of the incident with the laundry bag and the police. (“Little Girls – Reprise”). Annie and Grace arrive at the Warbucks’ Mansion and Grace tells Annie that she won’t have to clean while she is staying there (“I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here”). Oliver Warbucks returns home after a six-week trip with his mind so focused on work that he does not notice Annie. After he is introduced to Annie, he feels uncomfortable in her presence. He orders Grace to take the child to the movies but after seeing Annie’s imploring puppy dog eyes, Warbucks is won over and decides to accompany her to the movie.
Warbucks decides that since Annie has been cooped up in an orphanage, they will walk to the movie theatre, the Roxy. Grace, Warbucks and Annie encounter different types of New York City citizens on their way to the theatre, including an up and coming actress who has just moved to the city (“N.Y.C.”). When they finally arrive at the theatre, Annie is half asleep; Warbucks and Grace decide to carry her home.
A week passes and Grace has returned to the orphanage to tell Miss Hannigan that Warbucks has decided to adopt Annie. As Grace leaves she runs into Rooster — Miss Hannigan’s wayward brother — and his girlfriend, Lily, who have come to borrow money from Miss Hannigan. As Rooster recalls bumping into Grace, he asks Miss Hannigan about her. Upon learning about Annie’s situation, they begin to plot ways to exploit it for their own gain (“Easy Street”). Back at the Warbucks’ mansion, Grace informs Warbucks that the Tiffany’s jewelry box has arrived and that the papers have been signed for Annie’s adoption (according to the script, an optional song: “Why Should I Change a Thing?” sung by Warbucks, is inserted here). Annie is called into Warbucks’ office and given the present from Tiffany’s: a new silver locket. Warbucks goes to remove Annie’s old tattered locket, but is interrupted when she bursts into tears.
Annie explains that her locket is the only thing her parents left for her at the orphanage. Touched, Warbucks promises to find her parents so they can be reunited (“You Won’t Be an Orphan for Long”).
Annie is appearing on a live radio program called, “The Oxydent Hour of Smiles, starring Bert Healy” with Oliver Warbucks. He is offering a certified check for 50,000 dollars to anyone who can prove that they are Annie’s parents. Despite Warbucks’ disruptive behavior on the radio show, the radio cast ends the show with their signature song (“You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”). Back at the orphanage, the orphans are listening to Annie on the radio and make believe that they are the Hour of Smiles cast (“You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile – Reprise”). Miss Hannigan, upset at hearing happy orphans, barges in on the girls and finds out that Warbucks is offering a large reward for Annie’s parents. Frustrated, Miss Hannigan finds a Ralph and Shirley Mudge in her office. They claim to be Annie’s parents and are looking to take her home. As they share their story about leaving their child so they could head to Canada to look for work, they slowly reveal that they are actually Rooster Hannigan and Lily in disguise. Although Rooster tries to get Miss Hannigan to agree to a three-way split for the reward money, she will only agree to a two way split for the information she has about Annie (“Easy Street – Reprise”).
Warbucks has a meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the state of the economy. Although the cabinet and Warbucks would like Annie to sit outside, the President requests that Annie stay. During their discussion, Annie interjects telling the politicians that, “the sun’ll come out tomorrow” (“Tomorrow – Cabinet Reprise”). As they wrap up the meeting, Warbucks gets a telegram to return to New York immediately. The politicians find inspiration in Annie’s song leading them to conjure up a new federal project called, “The New Deal”.
Back at Warbucks’ mansion, Grace informs Warbucks and Annie that despite the hundreds of couples that were interviewed, none of them knew about the locket. The F.B.I. also found that her locket was one of ninety thousand made and there will be no chance in tracing her parents with it. Warbucks, in an attempt to cheer her up, tells her the one thing missing in his life was her (“Something Was Missing”). Suddenly he leaps into action, asking Grace for the adoption papers. Drake goes to call Judge Brandeis and the servants to prepare for a large celebration. Annie asks for Miss Hannigan and the girls to be invited to the party and — accompanied by Cecile and Annette — she leaves to get “spiffed up” (“I Don’t Need Anything but You”).
Judge Brandeis arrives and as they prepare to sign the adoption papers, Rooster and Lily, disguised as Ralph and Shirley Mudge, enter. In order to claim Annie, they provide their driver’s licenses, Annie’s birth certificate and the other half to Annie’s broken locket. Skeptical about their story, Warbucks asks the couple to leave Annie for the evening and to pick her — and their certified check — up in the morning. They agree and as they exit, Grace seems to remember meeting the “Mudges” somewhere else. Warbucks raises his glass to finally finding Annie’s parents but she is upset and runs to her room.
President Roosevelt arrives in time to see Annie exit and a frustrated Warbucks asks for his help. The next morning, Grace, Warbucks and Roosevelt tell Annie that the F.B.I. was able to trace Annie’s parents with the handwriting on her note. Her parents are not Ralph and Shirley Mudge but David and Margaret Bennett, who passed away long ago. As they realize that the only way the Mudges could have known about the locket was from Miss Hannigan, Hannigan herself arrives with the orphans for the Christmas Party. As Warbucks introduces Miss Hannigan and the orphans to the President and his servants, Mr. and Mrs. Mudge enter to take Annie — and the check — home. When Warbucks hands “Ralph Mudge” the check, it reads: pay to the order of “the jig is up.” As Rooster and Lily get arrested for fraud, Miss Hannigan instructs the orphans to sing “Deck the Halls” and states that she doesn’t know them. Despite her pleas to Annie to tell them how good she was to her, Miss Hannigan is arrested and taken away with Rooster and Lily.
Annie introduces the orphans to everyone: Grace, Warbucks, the servants and the President. Warbucks announces that Miss Hannigan is gone for good and that the girls will no longer work but will go to school. Annie and the orphans are most excited that they will have no more mush. Warbucks declares that “this Christmas is going to be the beginning of a wonderful new life (“A New Deal for Christmas”).
| “Maybe” | Annie |
| “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” | Annie and The Orphans |
| “It’s the Hard-Knock Life (Reprise)” | The Orphans |
| “Tomorrow” | Annie |
| “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover” | Sophie, The Hooverville-ites |
| “Little Girls” | Miss Hannigan |
| “Little Girls (Reprise)” | Miss Hannigan |
| “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” | Grace, Annie, Drake, Cecille, Annette, Mrs. Pugh, Other Servants |
| “N.Y.C.” | Warbucks, Grace, Annie, A Star To Be and New Yorkers |
| “Easy Street” | Miss Hannigan, Rooster, Lily |
| “You Won’t Be an Orphan For Long” | Grace, Drake, Mrs. Pugh, Cecille, Annette, Servants and Warbucks |
| “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” | Bert Healy, Connie Boylan, Ronnie Boylan, Bonnie Boylan and “The Hour of Smiles” Family |
| “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Reprise)” | The Orphans |
| “Easy Street (Reprise)” | Miss Hannigan, Rooster, Lily |
| “Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)” | Annie, FDR, Warbucks and the Cabinet |
| “Something Was Missing” | Warbucks |
| “I Don’t Need Anything But You” | Grace, Servants, Warbucks and Annie |
| “Maybe (Reprise)” | Annie |
| “A New Deal for Christmas” | Annie, Warbucks, Grace, FDR and The Staff |