The idea of turning Harold Gray's "Little Orphan Annie" into a musical comedy was the inspiration of lyricist-director Martin Charnin, who convinced Charles Strouse and librettist Thomas Meehan to join in creating it. The show, which places Annie, Daddy Warbucks and Annie's mutt, Sandy, in New York City in the midst of the Depression, opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977.

As an infant, Annie had been abandoned on the front steps of The New York City Municipal Orphanage with a note from her parents promising to return for her someday. Life in the orphanage had been rough under the strict hand of Miss Hannigan, but Annie's life was about to change. Billionaire Oliver Warbucks invites Annie to spend Christmas with him in his mansion, and together, they each discover new happiness. Warbucks soon decides he wants to adopt Annie, but when he learns about her dream of finding her parents and the secret of the half-locket she has treasured for so long, he sets his own feelings aside and orders an exhaustive search for Annie's parents.

Annie went on to win seven Tony awards and became the third longest running musical of the 1970s with 2,377 performances. It also won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Writing in The World of Musical Comedy, author Stanley Green has said, "...she has unquestionably taken her place as Broadway's most beloved waif of all times."

SCENE 1

MAYBE

[Annie, Orphans]

HARD-KNOCK LIFE

[Annie, Orphans]

HARD-KNOCK LIFE (REPRISE)

[Orphans]

SCENE 2

TOMORROW

[Annie, Sandy]

SCENE 3

LITTLE GIRLS

[Miss Hannigan]

LITTLE GIRLS (REPRISE)

[Miss Hannigan]

SCENE 4

I THINK I'M GONNA LIKE IT HERE

[Annie, Grace, Servants]

SCENE 5

N.Y.C.

[Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Star-to-Be, Chorus]

SCENE 6

EASY STREET

[Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily]

SCENE 7

YOU WON'T BE AN ORPHAN FOR LONG

[Warbucks, Annie]

SCENE 8

MAYBE (REPRISE)

[Annie]

SCENE 9

YOU'RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE

[Warbucks, Annie]

EASY STREET (REPRISE)

[Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily]

SCENE 10

I DON'T NEED ANYTHING BUT YOU

[Warbucks, Annie]

MAYBE (SECOND REPRISE)

[Annie]

SCENE 11

TOMORROW (REPRISE)

[Warbucks, Grace, Roosevelt, Annie, Orphans, Chorus]

ANNIE

Annie is a tough, streetwise urchin, who must be able to portray a variety of traits, from aggressive and crafty to friendly and caring. As lead character, she must be a strong actor and singer.

ORPHANS

Orphans (Molly, Pepper, Duffy, Kate, Tessie, July) are gritty, neglected and vulnerable, yet basically honest and potentially lovable. They need to have vocal strength and be visually expressive.

MISS HANNIGAN

Miss Hannigan is definitely a has-been, whose acrid delivery of her lines and torch-like rendition of her songs must distinguish her from the rest. She must be strong vocally with a good sense of comic timing.

GRACE FARRELL

Grace Farrell is mature, calm, cool and together. She is businesslike when dealing with Miss Hannigan and Warbucks, yet maternal toward Annie. Vocally, she has challenging intervals to handle in "N.Y.C."

ROOSTER HANNIGAN AND LILY ST. REGIS

Rooster Hannigan and Lily St. Regis are a team who play off each other's lines constantly. Rooster is flashy, self-assured and the leader; Lily is always distracted and bringing up the rear. Both need to be strong vocally and visually.

OLIVER WARBUCKS

Oliver Warbucks is the most challenging role for this age group. This actor must appear middle-aged, self-assured and confident. His posture, walk and speech patterns are very important.

SERVANTS, DRAKE, MRS. GREER, MRS. PUGH

Servants, Drake, Mrs. Greer, Mrs. Pugh are the most fastidious of domestic help - your actors will have fun perfecting precision steps, nods and curtsies. Their heads are always held high and they rarely show their emotions. Vocally not difficult.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS

(limited lines and non-speaking parts)

Bundles McCloskey - Laundry Man

Apple Seller

Dog Catcher

Sandy - Annie's Dog

Lt. Ward - Policeman

Star-to-Be

Man in Brownstone Window

Usherette

Radio Announcer

Sound Effects Man

Bert Healy - Radio Show Host

President Roosevelt

Louis Howe - Newspaper Reporter, Friend of Roosevelt

Policeman

Additional Orphans

Servants