Annie

Annie (1976 – present) is a musical. The book was written by Thomas Meehan. The lyrics were written by Martin Charnin. The music was written by Charles Strouse. Annie is based on characters and concepts created by Harold Gray for the comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

Annie
Andrea McArdle Reid Shelton Annie 1977.JPG
Photo from the 1977 Broadway production
MusicCharles Strouse
LyricsMartin Charnin
BookThomas Meehan
BasisLittle Orphan Annie (1924-2010) by Harold Gray
ProductionsGodspeed Opera House (1976)
Broadway (1977 and 2012)
West End (1978, 1983 and 1998)
Movies (1982, 1999 and 2014)
AwardsTony Award for Best Musical

The musical premiered on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1977. It ran for about six years. A West End production opened in 1978. Annie won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Roles

  • Annie, an 11-year-old orphan
  • Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, a billionaire
  • Grace, his assistant
  • Miss Hannigan, the matron of an orphanage
  • Rooster, Miss Hannigan's brother
  • Lily St. Regis, Rooster's girlfriend

Story

Annie lives in an orphanage run by Miss Hannigan. She is chosen from the orphans to spend two weeks with Oliver Warbucks. He grows to love her. When he learns that she wants to find her parents, he offers a large reward. Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily scheme to kidnap Annie, but their plot fails, and they are sent to prison.

Adaptations

Annie was made into a movie in 1982 starring Albert Finney, Aileen Quinn, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Burnett.