Displaying items by tag: Annie

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment), Carolyn Rossi Copeland Productions, Inc. and Crossroads Live North America today announced casting for the limited engagement of iconic Tony Award-winning musical ANNIE at The Chicago Theatre which runs from November 12 through December 1, 2024.

In the title role of "Annie" is Hazel Vogel, a 12-year-old from Towson, MD, who most recently appeared in the North American tour of Les Misérables. Returning principal cast includes Stefanie Londino as "Miss Hannigan," Christopher Swan as "Oliver Warbucks," Julia Nicole Hunter as "Grace," and Mark Woodard as "FDR." Also starring in the production are Rhett Guter as "Rooster" and Isabella De Souza Moore as "Lily St. Regis." Kevin, a 7-year-old labradoodle, stars as "Sandy."

The Orphans are Aria Valentina Aldea, Eva Lizette Carreon, Anna Dillon, Kylie Noelle Patterson, Olive Ross-Kline and Nora West, and the featured ensemble includes Stephen Cerf, Anthony DaSilva, Savannah Fisher, Alloria Frayser, Brooke Olivia Gatto, Caroline Glazier, Ryan Mulvaney, Joel Newsome, Melinda Parrett, Lawrence E. Street, Drew Tanabe and Stephanie Wahl.

"This show, with its iconic title character, continues to delight generations of theatre-lovers old and new by joyfully singing directly into the face of great adversity with perseverance, guts and guile," said director Jenn Thompson. "For decades, ANNIE has continued to shine brightly, not only as an appeal to our better angels, but also as an example of the thrill of hope, hard-won: promising a better 'Tomorrow' not only for Annie herself, but for all who need her message now more than ever."

ANNIE is a heartwarming musical that for generations has reminded audiences that "the sun will come out tomorrow." And now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production that celebrates family, optimism and the American spirit as the ultimate cure for the hard knocks that life throws your way. The original production of ANNIE opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977, and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin).

ANNIE is directed by Jenn Thompson, who at the age of ten stepped into the role of "Pepper" in the Original Broadway production. ANNIE is choreographed by Patricia Wilcox (Motown, A Night with Janis Joplin), with orchestrations by Dan DeLange. The tour music supervisor is Matthew Smedal. Talitha Fehr is the Music Coordinator and Andrew David Sotomayor is the Music Director. The design team includes scenic design by Wilson Chin (Pass Over), costume design by Alejo Vietti (Jersey Boys), based on lighting design by Philip Rosenberg, sound design by Ken Travis (Disney's Aladdin), hair & wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan and casting by Paul Hardt Casting, LLC. ANNIE was revived on Broadway in both 1997 and 2014 and has been made into a major motion picture three times – in 1982, 1999 and 2014.

The ANNIE tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Nykol DeDreu, stage manager Brigham Johnson and is supported by assistant stage manager Tara Tolar-Payne. The company management team is led by company manager Royce Matthews with assistant company manager Angela Strohbeck. 

Tickets for ANNIE at The Chicago Theatre start at $39 when purchased in person at the Ticketmaster Box Office at The Chicago Theatre and at $54.50 when purchased online at chicagotheatre.com/ANNIE. For groups of nine or more, please contact the Group Sales Department at 212-465-6080 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Accessible and companion seats are available via the Accessibility Services Department at 888-609-7599 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This production of ANNIE was licensed by Music Theatre International and is produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland Productions Inc. and Crossroads Live North America. For additional information on this production of ANNIE, please visit AnnieTour.com.

The first movie I remember seeing in a movie theater was John Huston’s 80s film version of Annie — the one with Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks and Carole Burnett as Miss Hanigan. Burnett’s drunken spinster entertained little me nearly as much as the film’s climax high atop the steel girders of a New York City bridge terrified me. The story revolves an orphan (Annie), an eternal optimist who tries to make the best of every situation while living in a poorly run orphanage (thanks to the loathsome Miss Hannigan) hoping that someday a nice family will take her in. Tough, clever and ever-persistent, Annie soon becomes an inspiration and a sign of hope to the other orphans. When millionaire Daddy Warbucks enters the picture, life for everyone quickly turns in a new direction.  

Annie first entered our hearts from Day One of its opening on Broadway in 1977. And all these decades and movie versions and various stage productions later, it’s the songs of this show that have still stuck with me. My youngest was a toddler when the latest film version was released a few years back, and she quickly became enamored of Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin’s songs, too—some of her first words were stammered while she danced to “It’s the Hard Knock Life.” So, we were both excited for the new production of the Tony Award-winning musical Annie at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. And, like so many Broadway in Chicago productions, this one does a stellar job of putting on a beloved show full of song after song after song that are, as the kids would say, real bangers. Skillfully directed by Jenn Thompson and wonderfully choreographed by Patricia Wilcox this production checks all the boxes and then some. And Director Jenn Thompson knows a thing or two about Annie having played the role of "Pepper" in the original Broadway prodution at age ten.

(L to R) Krista Curry, Nick Bernardi and Stefanie Londino in the National Tour of ANNIE. Photo Credit_ Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

And, like so many productions of Annie, it’s the kids who make this one special. Emulating the lead character to near perfection, Ellie Pulsifer as Annie looks the part, and charms with the show’s opener, “Maybe” (a song I’ve lullabied my kids with for two decades), but like a pro she holds back until her first time through “Tomorrow”—did I mention this show is full of great songs? —when she lets loose, the applause matches her effort.

The other orphans had set the bar for Pulsifer already, their orphanage dormitory stomp “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and its reprise getting the audience excited from the beginning. My daughter and my beloved Molly shine here, played by Bronte Harrison, but the rest of the children are wonderful, too. They’re only matched when Addison, the rescue dog playing Sandy, arrives onstage. Sandy is trained by Tony Award Honoree William Berloni whose skillset was also utilized in A Christmas Story and Legally Blonde.

The adults in the show ain’t half bad, either. Like most national tour companies, they’re really, really good, and the large ensemble nicely populates Depression-era New York. Stefanie Londino as Miss Hannigan fills the Cadillac Palace Theatre with her voice during “Little Girls,” and shows great chemistry with Nick Bernardi’s Rooster, her ex-con brother, on my favorite, “Easy Street,” along with his squeaky moll, Lily, played by Krista Curry.

And Christopher Swan’s Daddy Warbucks is all heart — both for Annie and for his hometown, especially on “NYC,” a song that hasn’t made it into every production, but should, as it’s as good as the others I’ve already listed.

So, if you’re a fan of this beloved show, of its beloved characters, and of these beloved songs that have become Broadway standards, make your way to the Cadillac Palace Theatre for Annie, now through March 19th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

Many of us already know the story of the spirited, loveable orphan girl who is saved from an abusive orphanage after a billionaire takes a liking to her and decides to adopt her. Daddy Warbucks is that billionaire, Miss Hannigan is the abusive, alcoholic who runs the orphanage and the musical is ‘Annie’. Yet, if you know the story or not, it is a musical that inspires, offers hope and shows us that positivity can go a long way.

Citadel Theatre, located in Lake Forest, is the latest to bring ‘Annie’ to the stage. Directed by Robert D. Estrin, ‘Annie’ is a fun production for the whole family to enjoy.

It’s 1933 and Annie (Sophie Kaegi) and her gang are often mistreated at the orphanage by Miss Hannigan (Ellen Phelps), who finds sadistic pleasure in disciplining the kids. Miss Hannigan drinks openly, flirts with every serviceman that enters the orphanage and resents Annie most of all. The only thing the kids can do is hope they get adopted and, in the meantime, praise Miss Hannigan on command and sing “It’s A Hard Knock Life” while scrubbing floors. But everything changes when a billionaire’s assistant, Grace Farrell (Chamaya Moody), drops in unexpectedly to pick out a child to spend with the powerful Oliver Warbucks (John B Boss) over the holidays. And guess who she picks? Yep. Annie.

After Mr. Warbucks takes a liking to Annie he offers to adopt her, but Annie is determined to find her real parents. So the billionaire offers a huge monetary reward to the father and mother that come forward and claim Annie as their own - though he must be careful of imposters.  When Miss Hannigan finds out the reward offerd by Mr. Warbucks, she, her jailbird brother Rooster (Kyle Ryan) and his girlfriend Lily (Becca Duff) begin scheming. But can they fool Mr. Warbucks and his sharp assistant, Miss Farrell?

Citadel makes the best of their space to accommodate such a large cast and include a changing set that that takes us from the orphanage to Warbucks giant mansion – and it works quite well. With this production you also get strong ensemble and individual vocal performances, particularly from lead Sopia Kaegi, Chamaya Moody and Bill Chamberlain who plays Franklin D. Roosevelt, Oliver Warbucks very good friend. The children actors add much of the show's charm while players of multiple roles like Nick Mendelson (who killed it in Hell in a Handbag's 'Poseidon! The Musical'), Alexander Rubin and Emily Lewis (to name a few) lend strong credibility to the ensemble's sturdiness.

The show's many catchy song and dance numbers (music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin) are admirably performed by its ensemble and there is a lot to like in this production although I would have liked to have seen a bit more put-up-your-dukes-spunkiness out of Annie, more gruffness from Oliver Warbucks so that we can more effectively feel him gradually soften to Annie's warmth and good-heartedness, and a bit more tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, cruel and erratic behavior out of Miss Hannigan (not sure if there is a reason she is not portrayed as an alcoholic as much as we are used to seeing her, outside of her opening appearance in the orphanage). I also didn't feel that a romance was blooming between Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks until near the show's end scene. Still, the leading characters are effective, each having their share of fine moments, while the entire cast pulls off a solid all around performance and delivers a nice fun-filled production providing one hit after another including “Tomorrow,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and “Easy Street,” a deliciously pleasing song and dance number that has Miss Hannigan, Rooster and his girlfriend Lily (Becca Duff) setting their scheme into place.

‘Annie’ is an entertaining production that reminds us of the things we should not take for granted and the little things in life to be thankful for – sometimes it takes a special kid to show us the way. Extended through January 5th, ‘Annie’ is being performed at Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest.

For tickets and/or more show information, visit www.citadeltheatre.org.

Please note that Kayla Norris plays the role of Annie on alternating nights.