Movies - Annie

	Movies - Annie

Annie is a musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie. The music is by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book (spoken dialog) by Thomas Meehan. Famous songs from the musical include "Tomorrow" and "It's A Hard Knock Life".

Plot

Annie is a 10-year old (in various versions, she ranges from age 10 to age 14) orphan girl living in Depression era New York City. The play begins late one December night, when an orphan girl named Molly is jolted awake by dreams of her parents. Annie shows the girl a note her parents left her in one half of a heart-shaped locket, which promises that they will one day come get her (Maybe).

Shortly after this, Annie realizes that her "folks are never coming for ." She decides to escape the orphanage, but is quickly thwarted by Miss Hannigan, the cruel woman who owns the orphanage. The children are forced to clean the orphanage at this early hour (Hard Knock Life), though when a laundryman comes to pick up the orphan's sheets, Annie escapes in a laundry basket.

During her escape, Annie meets and is seperated from a dog named Sandy (Tomorrow) and meets a group of people in a Hooverville (Hooverville). During a raid on the Hooverville, however, she is found by the police and is taken back to the orphanage (Little Girls). Mere minutes after Annie is returned to Hannigan, Grace Farrell, secretary to billionare Oliver Warbucks, arrives at the orphanage. Warbucks wishes to have an orphan stay at his home for Christmas (reasons for the adoption vary from version to version, from the need for an heir to a PR stunt), so Annie is taken by Grace.

Though the servants at Warbucks' mansion welcome Annie warmly (I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here), Warbucks is more hesitant to accept Annie. The two strengthen their bond during a trip to the Roxy (N.Y.C.), as well as other briefly mentioned trips. Warbucks quickly decides that he wishes to adopt Annie. Hannigan is clearly angered over this news, and with the help of her conman brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily St. Regis, the three develop a plan to get rich off of Annie.

To break the ice for a request for adoption, Warbucks buys Annie a new heart locket. (Why Should I Change A Thing?) When the girl approaces hysteria when he attempts to take the old locket off, Warbucks realizes that Annie still wishes to find her parents. He swears to Annie that he will find her mother and father (You Won't Be An Orphan For Long).

The pair go on a radio show, and initiate a public plea for Annie's parents. Warbucks offers $50 000 to anyone who can prove that they are Annie's parents - or, whoever has the second half of the locket (Fully Dressed). The radio broadcast is heard by the orphans (Fully Dressed - Children), as well as Miss Hannigan. Rooster and Lily plan to pose as Annie's parents, and with Hannigan's knowledge of the second half of the locket, take the reward money and leave town (Easy Street - Reprise).

Meanwhile, during a visit to the White House, Warbucks and Annie inspire Roosevelt and his Cabinet to introduce the New Deal platform (Tomorrow - Cabinet Reprise). After a paper from the F.B.I. shows that it will be impossible to trace Annie's parents through the locket - over 90 000 were made - and the 1000+ people claiming to be Annie's parents turn out to be liars, Warbucks decides to adopt Annie (Something was Missing, I Don't Need Anything But You).

During an improvised party celebrating the eve of Annie's adoption, Lily and Rooster enter disguised as "Ralph Mudge" and "Shirley Mudge", and claim to be Annie's parents. As the couple has a false birth certificate and the other locket half, Warbucks begrudgingly accepts the two as Annie's parents. Warbucks invites the pair to come pick her up the next day, on Christmas morning.

Warbucks, and suprisingly Annie, are saddended over this turn of events (Maybe - Reprise). New news from the F.B.I. is quickly recieved - Annie's real parents, David and Margaret Bennett, have passed away. Lily, Rooster, and their accomplise Hannigan are all arrested. The play ends with a full cast song (New Deal for Christmas), the adoption of Annie by Warbucks, and the re-uniting of Sandy and Annie.

Stage Productions

Pre-Broadway

Annie opened on August 10, 1976 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Broadway

The original Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 21, 1977 and ran for 2,377 performances. It starred Andrea McArdle as Annie, Reid Shelton as Daddy Warbucks, and Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan. It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won 7, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

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Movies - Annie

Plot

Stage Productions

Pre-Broadway

Broadway

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