Annie (musical)

Annie.

This is about the stage musical. For the various films, see Annie (1982 film), Annie (1999 film) or Annie (2014 film).

Annie is a stage musical based on the Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

Cast

• Kristen Vigard/Andrea McArdle - Annie
• Reid Shelton - Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks
• Maggie Task - Miss Hannigan
• Robert Fitch - Rooster Hannigan
• Barbara Erwin - Lily St. Regis
• Sandy Faison - Grace Farrell
• Raymond Thorne - Franklin D. Roosevelt/Harry
• Donald Craig - Bert Healy/Hull/Dog Catcher
• Edwin Bordo - Drake

Plot

In 1933, eleven-year-old Annie is in the Municipal Girls Orphanage, along with Molly (age 6), Kate (age 7), Tessie (age 10), Pepper (age 12), July and Duffy (both 13). When Molly awakes from a bad dream, angering Pepper and Duffy, July tells them to hush up and eventually gets into a fight with Pepper. Annie gets up and tells everyone to go back to sleep. Molly then asks if Annie could read her note from when her parents left her at the orphanage. Duffy and Pepper are yet again annoyed. Along with Kate, Pepper and Duffy imitate Annie's acting as if they were her parents.

Annie decides to escape to find her parents, but is caught by Miss Hannigan, who is currently suffering from a hangover. She is angered by this and forces all the girls to vigorously clean the orphanage. Shortly after, Mr. Bundles, the laundry man, comes in to pick up the blankets. While Miss Hannigan is flirting with him, Annie climbs into the laundry basket and the orphans cover her up with the blankets. Once Miss Hannigan realizes she is gone, the other orphans express their frustration.

Annie successfully escapes, running into a friendly stray dog. As she comforts him, she tells him of better days yet to come. The dog catcher is after him, so she pretends the dog is hers by calling him Sandy. Though at first unsuccessful, she convinces the dog catcher, and she continues on. She later finds a Hooverville, where people made homeless by the Great Depression have come together as a community. However, a policeman named Lt. Ward, who had been sent by Miss Hannigan, catches Annie and brings her back.

Grace Farrell, assistant to the billionaire Oliver Warbucks, comes to the orphanage asking for an orphan to come to his mansion for the Christmas holiday. Because Annie was in Miss Hannigan's office, Grace asks to take her, and Miss Hannigan reluctantly agrees. Once she has left, Miss Hannigan explodes with her hatred for all the girls in the orphanage.

Meanwhile, at the Warbucks Mansion, the staff welcomes Annie with open arms. When Oliver Warbucks comes back, though, he is very moody and not too happy to have an orphan in his mansion. He asks Grace to take Annie to a movie, but she persuades him to come too. As he and Annie begin to like each other, they enjoy a fabulous night in New York City. Back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and his girlfriend, Lily, pay a visit. Miss Hannigan mentions that Annie is staying at a billionaire's house, and they think they could use this situation to their advantage, though they do not yet know how.

Warbucks sees the locket around Annie's neck, and buys her a new one from Tiffany & Co. He debates taking her "under his wing", because he doesn't know much about children, but he decides he loves her and gives her the locket. However, she bursts into tears, saying it was the only thing left by her parents, and refuses to accept a new one. Grace and the staff then pledge to find her parents no matter what it takes.

Annie appears on the radio on a show by Bert Healy where Warbucks announces that he is offering $10,000 to the couple who can prove they are her parents. Healy then sings a song with the Boylan Sisters. Back at the orphanage the girls are listening to the song. Everyone is fascinated that their friend is on the radio, except Pepper; who couldn't care less. When Miss Hannigan hears, she barges in and demands to know what was happening. Molly announces that Annie was on the radio, and that there is a $10,000 reward for her parents. Miss Hannigan is anything but pleased. Shortly after, a couple named Ralph and Shirley Mudge arrive, saying they left a little girl here eleven years ago and have come back for her. Miss Hannigan is shocked. They soon reveal themselves to be Rooster and Lily; they explain their plan to get the reward. They request information about Annie from Miss Hannigan for one third of the money, though she demands one half for this service, and she tells them about the note and the locket.

Warbucks brings Annie to Washington, D.C., where she requests to meet the president. Warbucks thinks that it would be better if Annie waited outside, but Franklin D. Roosevelt asks her to stay. She begins to sing "Tomorrow", though shushed by the cabinet. Roosevelt, however, believes that people must be optimistic during tough times, and commands them to sing. Once back home, Warbucks tells Annie how much he loves her. Because her parents have not shown up, he announces he would like to adopt her. They decide to throw a Christmas party, and Annie wants to invite Miss Hannigan and the orphans. While preparing, the delighted staff tell of how her arrival has changed their lives.

Judge Louis Brandeis shows up to begin the adoption proceedings, but is interrupted by Mr. and Mrs. Mudge (Rooster and Lily in disguise) who come to pick up Annie. Grace and Warbucks are shocked, because they know about the note and the locket. Still, Warbucks does not think they are her real parents. He requests that she will be allowed to stay one more night for the Christmas party, and then they can take her away to their supposed pig farm in New Jersey. Early that morning, she wishes she could have been adopted, not sent off with her "parents". Warbucks then receives a surprise visit from Roosevelt and his Secret Service. It is revealed by him that Annie's parents are actually David and Margaret Bennett, who died when she was a baby. They then realize that Mr. and Mrs. Mudge are really Rooster and Lily, just as they show up to claim her and the money. They, along with Miss Hannigan, are arrested by the Secret Service, and everyone is delighted by Roosevelt's new deal for the economy.

Musical numbers

Act I

• "Maybe" – Annie and Orphans
• "It's the Hard Knock Life" – Annie and Orphans
• "It's the Hard Knock Life" (Reprise) – Orphans
• "Tomorrow" – Annie
• "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover" – Hooverville-ites
• "Little Girls" – Miss Hannigan
• "Little Girls" (Reprise) – Miss Hannigan
• "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" – Grace, Annie and Staff
• "N.Y.C." – Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Star-to-Be and Chorus
• "N.Y.C. (Reprise)/Lullaby" – Warbucks
• "Easy Street" – Rooster, Miss Hannigan and Lily
• "You Won't Be an Orphan for Long" – Grace and Warbucks
• "Maybe" (Reprise) – Annie

Act II

• "Maybe" (second reprise) – Annie
• "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" – Bert Healy and the Boylan Sisters
• "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" (reprise) – Orphans
• "Easy Street" (Reprise) – Rooster, Miss Hannigan and Lily
• "Tomorrow" (Reprise) – Annie, Roosevelt, Warbucks and Cabinet
• "Tomorrow" (second reprise) - Roosevelt and the Cabinet
• "Something Was Missing" – Warbucks
• "Annie" – Grace, Drake and Staff
• "I Don't Need Anything But You" – Warbucks and Annie
• "Maybe" (third reprise) – Annie
• "A New Deal for Christmas" – Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Roosevelt and staff
• "Tomorrow" (third reprise) – Company