Overview
Synopsis
Based on Little Orphan Annie, the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide sensation. Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the beloved show features a wonderful score written by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, including the Broadway smash hit “Tomorrow”.
With a perfect combination of street-smarts and optimism, Annie warms the hearts of the audience as we witness her rise from next to nothing in New York City. She is determined to find her parents, who left her at the orphanage years ago. Though things don’t quite work out the way she has planned, she does manage to thwart the plans of the evil Miss Hannigan and find a new family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his secretary Grace Farrell, and her lovable pooch, Sandy.
Show Information
- Book
- Thomas Meehan
- Music
- Charles Strouse
- Lyrics
- Martin Charnin
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Little Orphan Annie comic strip by Harold Gray
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1977
- Genres
- Comedy, Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- december, 1933, new york city, white house
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Elementary School, High School, Large Cast, Middle School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Religious Groups, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Child, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Young Adult Characters
Context
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
to read the context for Annie and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
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
to read the plot for Annie and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
Act One
- “Maybe” - Annie
- “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” - Annie andThe 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
Act Two
- “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
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A play, musical, or opera that has been adapted from a written work.
A song that uses short stanzas to tell a story about love.
References a singer who sings in a more chest voice dominant manner.
A production in which musical numbers and dances are fully integrated into a proper narrative with defined dramatic goals.
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
A mental illness causing persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest.
The financial and industrial slump of 1929 and subsequent years.
A restaging of a stage production after its original run has closed.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
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