Annie (musical)

Annie
Original Broadway Windowcard
Music	Charles Strouse
Lyrics	Martin Charnin
Book	Thomas Meehan
Basis	Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie
Productions	1977 Broadway 1978 West End 1978 North American Tour 1978 U.S. Tour 1979 U.S. Tour International productions 1981 U.S. Tour 1983 West End 1997 Broadway revival 1998 West End 2000 UK tour 2005 U.S. Tour 2006 UK Tour
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Book

Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life" are among its most popular musical numbers.

Plot

Act 1

It is 1933 and eleven-year-old Annie is in the Municipal Girls Orphanage, along with Molly, who is six, Kate, who is seven, Tessie, who is ten, July, who is thirteen, Pepper, who is twelve and Duffy, who is thirteen. When Molly awakes from a bad dream at 3:00AM, Annie comforts her. Molly then asks her to read the note her parents gave her in 1922, when she was left at the doorstep of the orphanage. The note says that her parents will come pick her up, so Annie is always hopeful that they are still out there ("Maybe").

Annie decides to escape to find her parents, but is caught by the orphanage supervisor Miss Hannigan, who is currently suffering from a hangover. Miss Hannigan is angered by this and forces all the girls to vigorously clean the orphanage ("It's the Hard Knock Life"). 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 blankets. Once Miss Hannigan realizes Annie is gone, the other orphans express their frustration ("It's the Hard Knock Life Reprise").

Annie successfully escapes, running into a friendly stray dog. As she comforts him, she tells him of better days yet to come ("Tomorrow"). The dog catcher is after him, so Annie pretends he is hers by calling him Sandy. Though at first unsuccessful, he is convinced, and she continues. She later finds a Hooverville, where people made homeless by the Great Depression have come together as a community ("We'd Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover"). However, a cop sent by Hannigan catches her and brings her back.

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

Meanwhile, at the Warbucks Mansion, the servants and staff welcome Annie with open arms ("I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here"). When Oliver Warbucks comes back though, he is very moody and not too happy to have an orphan in his house. He asks Grace to take Annie to a movie, but she persuades him to come. As Annie and Warbucks begin to like each other, they enjoy a fabulous night in New York City ("NYC").

Back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and his floozy girlfriend, Lily St. Regis, pay a visit. Miss Hannigan mentions that Annie is staying at a billionaire's house, and Rooster and Lily think they could use this situation to get rich, though they don't yet know how ("Easy Street").

Warbucks sees the locket around Annie's neck, and buys her a new one from Tiffany & Co.. However, Annie bursts into tears saying it was the only thing left by her parents, and refuses to accept a new one. Grace and the Warbucks' staff then pledge to find Annie's parents no matter what it takes ("You Won't be an Orphan For Long").

Act 2

Annie soon appears on the radio, on a show by Bert Healy, singing Maybe. On the show, Warbucks announces that he is offering 50,000 dollars to the couple that proves to be her parents. Healy then sings a song for everyone with the Boylan sisters ("You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"). The girls in the orphanage happen to be listening, and decide to have fun and dance around and sing the song they've just heard ("Fully Dressed Children"). 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 $50,000 reward for her parents. Miss Hannigan is anything but pleased. Shortly after, a couple named Ralph and Shirley Mudge come in, saying they left a little girl here eleven years ago and have come back for her. Miss Hannigan is shocked. The Mudges soon reveal themselves to be Rooster and Lily, and explain their plan for 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 tells them about the note and the locket. They develop a complete plan ("Easy Street Reprise").

Back at the mansion, hundreds of couples are showing up, though all are confirmed to be fakes by Grace, because none knew about the locket. Warbucks brings Annie to Washington D.C. where she requests to meet the president. F. D. R. asks her to stay, and she begins to sing Tomorrow, though shushed by the cabinet. Roosevelt however, believes that people must be optimistic during tough times, and commands his cabinet to sing ("Cabinet Tomorrow"). Once back at the mansion, Warbucks tells Annie how much he loves her ("Something Was Missing"). Because Annie's parents have not shown up, Warbucks announces he would like to adopt Annie ("I Don't Need Anything But You"). 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 Annie's arrival has changed their lives ("Annie").

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 Oliver are shocked, because they know about the note and the locket. Still, Warbucks doesn't think they are Annie's real parents. Warbucks requests that Annie be allowed to stay one more night for the Christmas party, and then be taken away to their supposed Pig Farm in New Jersey. Early that morning, she wishes she could have been adopted, and not sent off with her "parents" ("Maybe Reprise"). However, it is revealed by F. D. R., who shows up, that her parents are actually Margaret and David Bennett, and died when she was a baby. They then figure out that Mr. and Mrs. Mudge are really Rooster and Lily just as they show up to claim Annie and the money. They, along with Miss Hannigan, are arrested by the Secret Service, and everyone is delighted by F. D. R.'s new deal for the economy ("New Deal for Christmas").

Characters

Characters	Description
Annie	An 11-year-old redheaded girl, optimistic and "spunky", seeking her parents
Miss Hannigan	The unpleasant orphanage matron, disillusioned, she hates children, but is fond of alcoholic beverages
Daddy Oliver Warbucks	Billionaire businessman who opens his home – and heart – to Annie
Grace Farrell	Warbucks' faithful secretary, who loves Annie from the start
Rooster	Miss Hannigan's no-good brother, out for the quick buck
Lily St. Regis	Rooster's girlfriend, is smarter than she appears
Molly, Pepper, Duffy, July, Tessie, and Kate	The orphans at the orphanage, ages 6 to 13
Franklin D. Roosevelt	President of the United States, he aids Warbucks in the search for Annie's parents
Louis Brandeis	Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, he is called upon to assist in Annie's adoption
Bert Healy	Radio announcer who agrees to broadcast Annie's search for her parents
The Boylan sisters	Singers on the Bert Healy Show and hope to be famous someday
Sandy	An abandoned mixed–breed dog that Annie rescues, he becomes her faithful companion

Production history

Pre-Broadway tryout

Annie had its World premiere on August 10, 1976 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. Kristen Vigard was the first actress to play the title role. However, the producers soon decided that Vigard's genuinely sweet interpretation was not tough enough for the street-smart orphan. After a week of performances, Vigard was replaced by Andrea McArdle, who played one of the other orphans, Pepper. Vigard went on to become McArdle's Broadway understudy.

Broadway original production

The original Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 21, 1977 and starred Andrea McArdle as Annie, Reid Shelton as Daddy Warbucks, Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan, and Sandy Faison as Grace Farrell. Danielle Brisebois was one of the orphans. It was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won 7, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Replacements in the title role on Broadway included then-child actors Shelly Bruce, Sarah Jessica Parker, Allison Smith and Alyson Kirk. Replacements in the role of Miss Hannigan included Alice Ghostly, Dolores Wilson, Betty Hutton, Marcia Lewis, and June Havoc.

The show closed on January 2, 1983 and ran for a total of 2,377 performances, setting a record for the longest running show at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre), until it was surpassed by Hairspray in 2009.

United States National touring companies

During the Broadway run of Annie, there were four touring companies that were launched from the original production to tour to major U.S. cities:

The 1st National Touring Company opened in Toronto in March 1978 with Kathy-Jo Kelly in the title role, Norwood Smith as Daddy Warbucks, Jane Connell as Miss Hannigan and Gary Beach as Rooster. It played in Miami from April 12 to May 13, 1978 then continued for a few more cities until it landed in Chicago where it played for 32 weeks. In April 1979, it continued on the road in with Mary K. Lombardi now in the lead as Annie. In the fall of 1980, Theda Stemler took over the part and was replaced in Boston when she grew too old. On May 15, 1981, Louanne Sirota, who had played Annie in the long-running Los Angeles production (see below), took over the role for four months. In August 1981, Becky Snyder became the company's last Annie, closing the tour on September 6, 1981.

The 2nd National Touring Company (sometimes referred to as the West Coast or Los Angeles Production) opened in San Francisco on June 22, 1978 with Patricia Ann Patts starring as Annie and the then-unknown Molly Ringwald playing one of the orphans. The show landed in Los Angeles on October 15, 1978 for an open-ended run at the Shubert Theatre. On June 12, 1979, Sirota, just 9 years old (up until that time, all Annies had been 11 years old), took over the role from Patts. Marisa Morell took the role in December 1979, closing the Los Angeles run and continuing on tour with the show through December 1980.Kristi Coombs then played Annie until this touring company closed in Philadelphia on January 23, 1982. Alyssa Milano played one of the orphans in 1981.

The 3rd National Touring Company opened in Dallas on October 3, 1979 with Roseanne Sorrentino in the title role. This company toured to 23 cities playing mostly shorter runs of a month or less. On March 27, 1981, Bridget Walsh took over as Annie. Becky Snyder (who had closed the 1st National Tour) joined this company in the summer of 1982 and stayed with it until it closed in September of that year.

The 4th National Touring Company opened on September 11, 1981 with Mollie Hall playing Annie. This production was a "bus and truck" tour, with a slightly reduced cast, that traveled the country and often played in two cities a week. This company was still touring when the original Broadway production closed in January 1983, making Kathleen Sisk the final performer to play Annie from the original production team. This tour closed in September 1983.

West End original production

The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre on May 3, 1978. Though Andrea McArdle played the title role for 40 performances, British 12-year-old Ann Marie Gwatkin was also cast in the title role and appeared on the Original London cast recording. She alternated with Christine Hyland and five other Annies were cast at this point: Anne O'Rourke, Tracy Taylor, Jacinta Whyte, Helen Thorne and Gillian White who were all toplay the role over the next three years. Miss Hannigan was originally played by Sheila Hancock, later by Maria Charles and Stella Moray and Daddy Warbucks was played by Stratford Johns (later by Charles West) with Deborah Clarke playing Pepper. Annie closed on 28 November 1981, after 1485 performances.

UK tour

The musical transferred to the Bristol Hippodrome for a special Christmas season before touring Britain. Because of strict British employment laws for juvenile actors, a succession of actresses took on the lead role every four months. One of the last girls to perform the role at the Victoria Palace before the show went on tour was 10-year old Claudia Bradley from Leeds who was featured on a 1981 BBC programme called Fame.

West End revival (1999)

The show was later revived at the Victoria Palace, running from 30 September 1998 to 28 February 1999. It starred Lily Savage (the female alter ego of comedian Paul O'Grady) as Miss Hannigan. Further UK tours of the show were also staged, including a one-month run at The Theatre Royal in Lincoln in 2001. Members of the original cast included Annie's Kate Winney and Jemma Carlisle, Louise English (Grace), Vicki Michelle (Hannigan) and Simon Masterton-Smith (Warbucks). The show proved to be a success, and so for the first two tours and the Malaysian Genting Highlands Production, the role of Annie was then shared by Faye Spittlehouse and a young Lucy May Barker. This particular production toured from 2001–2007 and resumed in September 2008.

Broadway revival (1997)

A 20th anniversary Broadway revival in 1997 entitled Annie, the 20th Anniversary starred Nell Carter, and later Sally Struthers, as Miss Hannigan, but controversy surrounded the casting of the titular character. The original actress cast in the role, Joanna Pacitti, was fired and replaced by her understudy, Brittny Kissinger (who usually played July) while battling bronchitis. Public sentiment seemed to side with Pacitti as she was the winner of a highly-publicized contest to find a new Annie sponsored by the department store Macy's. This incident, coupled with the mixed reviews the new staging garnered, doomed it to a short run, although it was followed by a successful national tour. Kissinger, then 8, became the youngest actress to ever play Annie on Broadway.

More controversy surrounding the show involved Nell Carter. Carter reportedly was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter felt that racism played a part in the decision. "Maybe they don't want audiences to know Nell Carter is black", she told the New York Post. However, the ads did mention that Carter was in the show. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it — it's insulting to me as a black woman." Later reports stated that "Nell Carter of Broadway's 'Annie' denied Thursday that she called her show's producers racist because they chose to air commercials featuring a previous Miss Hannigan--who is white--instead of her." Her statement, released by the Associated Press, read: " 'Yes, it is true that I and my representatives have gone to management on more than one occasion about the commercial and were told that there was nothing they could do about it,' Carter said in a statement Thursday. 'Therefore, I have resigned myself to the fact that this is the way it is.' The statement also addressed the alleged charges of racism, first published in Thursday's New York Post. Carter is black. 'I, Nell Carter, never, ever, ever accused my producers or anyone in the show of racism,' she said. Producers have said it is too expensive to film a new commercial." Carter was later replaced by another white actress, Sally Struthers.

1999-2000 United States tour

Starting in August 1999, the post Broadway National Tour continued with Meredith Ann Bull as Annie. In the spring of 2000, Ashley Wieronski, who had been playing Duffy, moved up to play Annie. In July 2000, Dana Benedict took over as Annie.

2000-2001 Australian tour

In 2000/2001 Anthony Warlow starred as Daddy Warbucks. A new song, Why Should I Change a Thing, was written for him creating Music Theatre history and changing Annie forever. Appearing as Annie in the Sydney production was Rachel Marley.

2005-10 United States tours

Starting in 2005, a 30th anniversary traveling production of Annie by Networks Tours embarked on a multi-city tour. This production is directed by Martin Charnin. For the first year of the tour, Conrad John Schuck played Daddy Warbucks, Alene Robertson was Miss Hannigan and Annie was played by Marissa O'Donnell. Throughout the show, there were a couple of replacements, including Amanda Balon, who took over as Molly. For the 2nd year of the tour, Annie was played by Marissa O'Donnell again. This Equity Tour closed on March 25, 2007, at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.

The 2007-2008 cast included Amanda Balon, returning as Annie, David Barton as Oliver Warbucks and Lynn Andrews as Miss Hannigan. The 2008-09 cast for the tour featured Tianna Stevens as Annie. Early in 2009, Amanda Balon returned temporarily to play the role of Annie until Madison Kerth was rehearsed to play the title role. Also returning were Barton and Andrews. Other cast members included Mackenzie Aladjem (Molly). In the 2009-10 tour, Kerth returned as Annie along with most of the previous year's cast.

Planned Broadway revival (2012)

A 35th Anniversary production has been announced to open on Broadway in Fall 2012. Thomas Meehan is expected to revise the musical, with James Lapine expected to direct, at a Nederlander theatre to be announced.

International productions

Annie has been produced professionally in Argentina (1982¹), Australia (1978¹, 2000), Denmark (1982), Germany(1999),Hungary (1998), Israel (2001 (אנני)¹, 2010), Italy (1982,2006), Japan (1979, 1986 , 2004, 2010)₂, United Kingdom (1978¹, 1983, 1998, Tours from 2000–2010), Mexico (1979¹,1991, 2010), The Netherlands (1997¹, 2005-2006¹), Norway (1991¹, 2004¹), Philippines (1978, 1987, 1998), Portugal (1982,¹, 2010), Spain (1982¹, 2000¹, 2010), Sweden (1979 (Stockholm), 1999(Stockholm), 2005-2006(Malmö)¹), Peru (2002), Zimbabwe (2003), Colombia (2006) Miami (2006), Belgium (2008–2009),Poland 1989 North America (1978, 2003)

¹Indicates the production made an official cast recording.
²In Japan, a special demo recording of selected songs is made each year, with the new actress playing Annie.

Stage sequels

The first attempt at a sequel, Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge, opened at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. in December 1989 to universally disastrous reviews. Extensive reworking of the script and score proved futile, and the project ended before reaching Broadway. In 1993, a second attempt (with a similar plot and score), entitled Annie Warbucks, opened at the Off Broadway Variety Arts Theatre, where it ran for 200 performances.

Musical numbers

Act 1

• Overture — Orchestra
• Maybe — Annie & Orphans
• It's the Hard Knock Life — Annie & 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 & Servants
• N.Y.C. — Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Star-to-Be, Chorus
• Easy Street — Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily
• Why Should I Change A Thing - Warbucks
• You Won't Be an Orphan for Long - Grace & Warbucks
• Maybe (Reprise one) — Annie

Act 2

• Maybe (Reprise two) — Annie
• You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile — Bert Healy, Boylan Sisters
• You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Children) — Orphans
• Easy Street (Reprise) — Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily
• Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)  — Annie, Roosevelt, Warbucks, Cabinet
• Something Was Missing —Warbucks
• I Don't Need Anything But You — Warbucks & Annie
• Annie — Grace, Drake & Servants
• Maybe (Reprise three) — Annie
• New Deal for Christmas — Warbucks & Servants

Recordings

The Original Broadway Cast recording was released in 1977; a CD containing bonus tracks was released on September 15, 1998 by Sony (ASIN: B00000AG6Z). The 1998 London studio cast recording, featuring the National Symphony Orchestra, stars Sarah French as Annie, Kim Criswell as Miss Hannigan and Ron Raines as Oliver Warbucks.

A 30th anniversary cast recording was released in 2008 on Time–Life Records. An all-star cast of former Annie cast members includes Carol Burnett, Sally Struthers, Kathie Lee Gifford, Andrea McArdle, John Schuck, Harve Presnell, Gary Beach and Amanda Balon. The rest of the cast is made up of the members of the 30th Anniversary Tour. This recording is a double CD set and includes the entire show as it is performed now on the first disk. The second disk includes songs from the sequel to Annie, "Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge" as well as songs that were cut from or added to the original production. There is also a song from the 1977 Annie Christmas special. The booklet is made up of original drawings by Philo Barnhart, who is the creator of the characters of Ariel and Ursula in "The Little Mermaid", and is presented in a comic book style.

Film and television

Main article: Annie (1982 film)

Main article: Annie (1999 film)

The Columbia Pictures film was released in 1982, with Albert Finney starring as Daddy Warbucks, Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan, Ann Reinking as Grace Farrell, Tim Curry as Rooster, Bernadette Peters as Lily, and Aileen Quinn as Annie. A sequel to the 1982 movie, Annie: A Royal Adventure! was made for television in 1995. The sequel starred Ashley Johnson, Joan Collins, George Hearn and Ian McDiarmid. Aside from a reprise of "Tomorrow", there are no songs in the sequel.

A made-for-TV Wonderful World of Disney movie version, produced by The Walt Disney Company, was broadcast in 1999; it starred Victor Garber as Daddy Warbucks, Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan, Audra McDonald as Grace Farrell, Alan Cumming as Rooster, Kristin Chenoweth as Lily, and newcomer Alicia Morton as Annie.

A documentary film, "Life After Tomorrow", was directed and produced by one of the original Broadway and National Tour orphans, Julie Stevens and partner, Gil Cates, Jr. The film reunites more than 40 women who played orphans in the Broadway show “Annie” and reveals the highs and lows of their experiences as child actresses in a cultural phenomenon. The film premiered on Showtime and was released on DVD in 2008.

In January 2011, Will Smith announced plans for a "redux" of Annie for Sony. This version will star Smith's daughter, Willow, as Annie. Jay-Z is in talks to collaborate on the music score. It is unknown whether this version will be a contemporary retelling of the musical, or if it will contain original songs. Glee series creator Ryan Murphy was announced as a top choice of Sony Pictures to direct the film.

Annie Junior

Annie Jr. is a musical licensed by Music Theatre International's Broadway Kids, specially edited to be performed by youngsters in a shortened version. It is performed internationally every year by acting academies, programs, schools and camps.

Stage differences (1977 musical)

The songs "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover", "A New Deal for Christmas", "Something Was Missing" and "Tomorrow-Cabinet Reprise" were cut. There is only one version of "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile", which is sung by the orphans. Also, there are only two "Maybe" reprises. The songs "I Don't Need Anything but You" and "You Won't Be an Orphan For Long" only feature Annie and Warbucks.

Pop culture references

Annie's popularity is reflected in its numerous mentions in popular media. References to the show appear in films such as Austin Powers: Goldmember, where Dr. Evil and Mini-Me sendup Jay-Z's version of the song 'It's The Hard Knock Life For Us'; and in the 1994 John Waters black comedy Serial Mom, where a woman is bludgeoned to death with a leg of mutton by the titular serial killer while watching the 1982 film of Annie and singing along. Annie is parodied in Reefer Madness, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt shows up as the deus ex machina at the end of the satirical musical to tell the assembled crowd, "A little orphan girl once told me that the sun would come out tomorrow. Her adopted father was a powerful billionaire, so I suppressed the urge to laugh in her face, but now, by gum, I think she may have been on to something!"

References in television series include Pushing Daisies, where Emerson referred to Chuck's father as "Daddy Dead-bucks" in the episode entitled "The Norwegians" (Season 2: Episode 10). Zoey 101, where Marc wants the school production changed to Annie; Full House, where Stephanie Tanner sings the song in several episodes; the Family Guy episode "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" (1999), where the Griffin family inherits a luxury mansion, and the staff puts on a large-scale production number spoofing the song "I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here". The same song is also spoofed in the Drawn Together episode "Alzheimer's That Ends Well". In the first episode of Boston Legal, Alan Shore representes a black girl who was not hired as Annie in the national tour, and wins the case with the help of Al Sharpton. In the South Park episode "Ginger Kids", Eric Cartman and his group of Ginger Supremacists protest against Annie being played by a non-freckled, non-red-haired girl. In 30 Rock, Liz Lemon is discovered in her office after hours listening to music on her headset and singing "Maybe." The stop-motion comedy show Robot Chicken parodied Annie in episodes including "Maurice Was Caught" (2009).

The song "Tomorrow" is sung in many media references, including by Joe's aunt in a scene in the movie You've Got Mail; in Dave, by Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver; by Lewis on The Drew Carey Show; by Jane Krakowski in the fourth season of Ally McBeal; in Roseanne, by Darlene and Becky; in Friends, by Chandler Bing, who has two copies of the Annie soundtrack (season eight's episode "The One With The Tea Leaves"); by Reese Witherspoon in Just Like Heaven; by Donkey in the CGI movies Shrek II (although he passes out halfway through the second line) and Shrek Forever After when he is pulling the witches' cart to Rumpelstiltskin with an unconscious Shrek inside after making the deal with Rumpelstiltskin; in a commercial for Lowe's Hardware promoting their next-day delivery; by the Royle Family in the episode "The Queen of Sheba" of the eponymous series; by contestant Teresa Cooper on an episode of Survivor: Africa; in a Duel Masters episode, it is recited by Shobu; by Marta in School Of Rock; in Like Mike, by a couple hoping to be Calvin's adoptive parents; and in Addams Family Values. In the Ugly Betty episode "Loss the Boss" the song can be heard playing in the bedroom of Justin Suarez after he was sent there for fighting in school. Pastiche versions of the song are sung in the Disney theme park attraction It's Tough to be a Bug! and in the Rooms To Go next-day delivery ad campaign. The long-running Broadway parody production of Forbidden Broadway took up "Tomorrow" as sung by an adult Annie ("I'm thirty years old . . . tomorrow") pleading for a sequel to the original musical.

Other prominent media references include the following:

• Rapper Jay-Z made heavy use of samples from the Broadway cast album's version of "It's the Hard-Knock Life" in his single "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". In turn, Jay-Z's take was also parodied by Sudden Death with their song "Star Trek Life" from their album Die Laughing.
• The NFL Network produced two Super Bowl ads in 2004 and 2005 featuring "Tomorrow." A series of football celebrities who were retired or didn't make it to that year's Super Bowl would sing the song, ending with the caption, "...Tomorrow, we're all undefeated again."
• Comedian Zach Galifianakis lip-synched to a recording of "Tomorrow" during his monologue on the March 12, 2011 episode of Saturday Night Live. He was dressed as Little Orphan Annie.

Awards and nominations

1977 Tony Awards

• Best Musical (WINNER)
• Best Leading Actor in a Musical - Reid Shelton (nomination)
• Best Leading Actress in a Musical - Andrea McArdle (nomination)
• Best Leading Actress in a Musical - Dorothy Loudon (WINNER)
• Best Direction of a Musical - Martin Charnin (nomination)
• Best Choreography - Peter Gennaro (WINNER)
• Best Book of a Musical - Thomas Meehan (WINNER)
• Best Original Score - Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin (WINNER)
• Best Scenic Design - David Mitchell (WINNER)
• Best Costume Design - Theoni V. Aldredge (WINNER) tying with The Cherry Orchard

1997 Tony Award

• Best Revival of a Musical (nomination)

1999 Olivier Awards

• Best Theatre Choreography (nomination)
• Best Supporting Actor in a Musical - Andrew Kennedy (nomination)

External links

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• ​Annie​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• Annie listing at Music Theatre International
• Annie audition research resource from Musical Theatre Audition
• Annie plot summary & character descriptions from Stage Agent
• Annieorphans.com - Official website for former Annie cast members and fans
• 2005-2007 Annie Tour official site
• "Broadway Tails", by Bill Berloni. The Story of the Original Sandy, and Other Rescue Dogs
• Fan website
• Annie Musical Lyrics