Annie Live!
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''Annie Live!'' is an American musical
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
that aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
on December 2, 2021. It was a performance of the 1977 Broadway musical ''
Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...
'', which is based on the comic strip '' Little Orphan Annie'' by
Harold Gray Harold Lincoln Gray (January 20, 1894 – May 9, 1968) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the newspaper comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie''. Early life Harold Gray was born in Kankakee, Illinois on January 20, 1894, to Este ...
. The production was the fourth on-screen version of the musical following the 1982 theatrical film starring
Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...
and Albert Finney (in which the songs "Sign" and "We Got Annie" were taken from), the 1999 television film starring
Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...
and
Victor Garber Victor Joseph Garber (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian-American actor and singer. Known for his work in film, television, and theatre, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also ...
and the 2014 theatrical film starring
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
and
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...
. The special starred newcomer Celina Smith as the titular role, Harry Connick Jr. as
Daddy Warbucks Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is a fictional character from the comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie''. He made his first appearance in the New York ''Daily News'' in the ''Annie'' strip on September 27, 1924. In the series he is said to be around 52 year ...
, Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan,
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
as Grace Farrell,
Tituss Burgess Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series '' Unb ...
as Rooster Hannigan, and
Megan Hilty Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical' ...
as Lily St. Regis. The special was directed by Lear deBessonet and Alex Rudzinski.


Plot

At the orphanage in New York City it is 3 in the morning and one of the girls has a nightmare. Some of the girls are annoyed at being waked up. Annie tries to comfort the girl. Miss Hannigan comes in and tells the girls to take everything off their beds and scrub the floors, even though by this time it is 4 in the morning. They perform "It's the Hard-Knock Life" and Annie sneaks into the cart which the laundry man will take with him. Annie discovers the dog Sandy and performs "Tomorrow". A cop asks Annie what she is doing out at night and about the dog. Annie claims it is hers and the cop tells her to put the dog on a better leash and give it a license. Then Annie encounters a Hooverville, where the homeless complain about former president Hoover and what has happened to their lives. A cop runs everyone off and Annie is returned to the orphanage. Grace shows up at the orphanage and mentions the office in charge, leading Miss Hannigan to believe she is there to inspect the place. No, in fact, Grace is there to select an orphan to spend Christmas 1933 with Oliver Warbucks, a billionaire. Annie is there and when Miss Hannigan asks what qualities the orphan should have, Annie appears to meet all the requirements. So she gets to spend Christmas in this fabulous mansion of Fifth Avenue. When she arrives everything and everyone is so nice, and Annie and the cast perform "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here". Warbucks arrives back at home after several weeks of touring his factories, many of which are closing, and he's not happy . President Roosevelt is one of many who has left a phone message but even he isn't important enough to call back right away, since Warbucks is a Republican. Seeing Annie, Warbucks wonders why Grace brought a girl because an orphan is supposed to be a boy. Still, Annie wins the man over and, while Warbucks was going to spend the evening catching up on work, he takes Annie and Grace to see a Broadway show. Miss Hannigan gets a visit from her brother Rooster with Lily, his latest girlfriend, and they perform "Easy Street". Warbucks likes Annie so much that he wants to adopt her. When he gives Annie a locket to replace her old one, she gets very upset because her real parents will come back for her, according to the note left with her when she was abandoned. She has half a locket and they have the other half. When the two halves match, that's how Annie will know she has found her real parents. Warbucks agrees to search for Annie's parents, calling "
J. Edgar ''J. Edgar'' is a 2011 American biographical drama film based on the career of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, directed, produced and scored by Clint Eastwood. Written by Dustin Lance Black, the film focuses on Hoover's life from the 1919 Palme ...
" to put his best men on it. Warbucks and Annie go on the Bert Healy's
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
radio show and Warbucks offers a $50,000 reward if Annie's parents are found. Hearing about the reward, Rooster and Lily put on disguises and succeed in fooling Miss Hannigan. They say they will claim to be Annie's long-lost parents from Canada, who were having a hard time when they gave her up, but now they are fine. They agree to split the reward money with Miss Hannigan, who was sent items after a fire that belong to Annie. This includes the locket that will prove who her parents are. Warbucks and Annie visit President Roosevelt, who is meeting with his cabinet. They do not know what to do about the economy, but a woman on the radio is criticizing Roosevelt. Annie starts singing "Tomorrow" and the others join in. FDR can only speak the words. Then he announces Annie has inspired him to create government jobs so people won't have to take handouts--a " New Deal". Warbucks receives a telegram telling him to come right home. Grace has screened numerous potential parents for Annie and all have lied. When Annie arrives home, she is given the sad news. Also, Eliot Ness has sent the news that the locket given to Annie was very common and it would be impossible to track down the people who bought it. Warbucks says if Annie's real parents cannot be found, he will adopt her, and the cast sings "I Don't Need Anything But You". Then Mr. and Mrs. Mudge show up, with proof they are Annie's parents. This includes a birth certificate, and the most important thing, the locket. But there is little excitement. Everyone seems disappointed. Warbucks mentions the reward, and Mr. Mudge, actually Rooster, refuses the reward money at first. Then he realizes they can take the $50,000 and give Annie a nice life in the country in New Jersey. However, Mr. and Mrs. Mudge will have to come back tomorrow. The next morning, Warbucks has news.
J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 β€“ May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation β ...
has determined Annie's real parents are deceased. And there is more news: the real identities of Mr. and Mrs. Mudge have been found to be Rooster and Lily. So when they show up, cops are there to take them away, and so is
FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. Miss Hannigan also shows up, with all of Annie's friends, and tries to claim the reward, but she is told she is an accomplice and will have to be arrested as well. Annie pleads for Miss Hannigan to go free, and Warbucks agrees she will be given a job--just not taking care of orphans. Then the entire cast celebrates because Annie and Molly will be adopted by "Daddy Warbucks", as Annie calls him for the first time. with Rooster and lily Hannigan dancing at the end of the show.


Cast and characters

* Celina Smith as Annie Bennett Warbucks * Harry Connick Jr. as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks * Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan *
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
as Grace Farrell, chief of staff to Oliver Warbucks *
Tituss Burgess Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series '' Unb ...
as Rooster Hannigan *
Megan Hilty Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical' ...
as Lily St. Regis *
Jeff Kready Jeff Kready (born in Parsons, Kansas, United States) is an American stage performer and has been featured in Broadway musicals. Raised in Topeka, Kansas, Kready made his Broadway debut in the 2006 revival of ''Les MisΓ©rables'' in the role of ...
as Bert Healy * Alan Toy as Franklin Delano Roosevelt * McKenzie Kurtz as Star to Be * Arwen Monzon-Sanders as Duffy * Audrey Cymone as Pepper * Cate Elefante as Kate * Felice Kakaletris as Molly * Sophie Knapp as July * Tessa Frascogna as Tessie * Jacob Keith Watson as Mr. Bundles * Kennedy Rae Thompson as Orphan


Musical numbers

* "Overture" – Orchestra * "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 New Yorkers * "Sign" * – Miss Hannigan and Warbucks * "Easy Street" – Rooster, Miss Hannigan, and Lily * "We Got Annie" * – Grace and Staff * "Maybe (Reprise)" † - Grace and Annie * "
You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" is a song from the Broadway musical ''Annie'', written by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. Sia cover Sia covered the song for the soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying an ...
" – Bert Healy, Boylan Sisters, and Orphans * "Easy Street (Reprise)" † - Rooster and Lily * "Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)" – Annie, F.D.R., Warbucks, and Cabinet * "Something Was Missing" – Warbucks * "I Don't Need Anything But You" – Annie, Warbucks, and Staff * "Maybe (Warbucks' Reprise)" – Warbucks * "Annie/I Don't Need Anything But You (Reprise)" † – Company * "A New Deal For Christmas" - Company * "Tomorrow" (Finale) – Company : † Denote reprises that were not included on the accompanying soundtrack. : * Denote songs written for the 1982 film adaptation.


Production


Development

The project was announced by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
on May 12, 2021 with Alex Rudzinski as the live television director and Lear deBessonet as the program director. It was also announced that
Sergio Trujillo Sergio Trujillo is a theater director and choreographer. Born in Colombia and raised in Toronto, Canada, he is now an American citizen and resides in New York City. Trujillo was the recipient of the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography for ''Ai ...
would choreograph the production. Other members of the production team included
Emilio Sosa Emilio Sosa (born February 23, 1967) is a costume designer for Broadway and is the current Chair for the American Theatre Wing Board of Trustees in New York City. He is a Tony Award nominated costume designer and is best known for his works Topdog ...
as costume designer, Jason Sherwood as scenic designer and
Stephen Oremus Stephen Oremus (born 1971) is an American musician who has worked on Broadway theatre productions as musical director and as orchestrator. His credits include arranger and orchestrator for the music for ''Avenue Q'', musical director and arranger ...
providing new orchestrations. The special was executive produced by Rudzinski,
Robert Greenblatt Robert Greenblatt (born 1959/1960) is an American television executive, former Chairman of NBC Entertainment and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He has since launched his production company, The Green Room Early life and educatio ...
and
Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...
. Rehearsals began in October in New York. On June 8, 2021, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson had been cast as Miss Hannigan in the production. Later, more casting was announced including Harry Connick Jr. as
Daddy Warbucks Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks is a fictional character from the comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie''. He made his first appearance in the New York ''Daily News'' in the ''Annie'' strip on September 27, 1924. In the series he is said to be around 52 year ...
,
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
as Grace Farrell,
Tituss Burgess Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in numerous Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series '' Unb ...
as Rooster Hannigan, and
Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...
as Lily St. Regis. In June 2021, NBC also announced that they would be holding a nationwide audition for the titular role, similarly to the casting of Shanice Williams as
Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...
in ''
The Wiz Live! ''The Wiz Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on NBC on December 3, 2015. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz'', a soul/ R&B reinterpretation ...
'' and
Maddie Baillio Maddie Baillio (born February 15, 1996) is an American actress and singer who appeared in the television special ''Hairspray Live'' and the film ''Dumplin. She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a pr ...
as Tracy Turnblad in ''
Hairspray Live! ''Hairspray Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on the American television network NBC on December 7, 2016. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and hosted by Darren Criss, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the ...
'' Celina Smith was ultimately cast as Annie. In November 2021, Krakowski stepped down from her role due to a breakthrough case of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
and would be replaced by
Megan Hilty Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical' ...
. Also, it was announced that
Andrea McArdle Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical '' Annie''. Career McArdle was born in Philadelphia. While studying dance as a child, she was spotted by a talent agent who got ...
, who originated the role of Annie on Broadway, had been cast as
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
. McArdle, however, stepped away from the production in late November due to the hospitalization of her father. The part was subsequently written out, however McArdle still appears on the cast recording.


Filming

The broadcast was filmed at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, New York.


Release

The special premiered on NBC on December 2, 2021.


Reception

The special, which was broadcast on December 2, 2021 by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, received 5.34 million viewers during its airing. After a week, the number of viewers rose to 6.29 million.


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{NBC Live! 2020s American television specials Musical television specials 2021 musicals 2021 in American television 2021 television specials NBC television specials Little Orphan Annie American live television shows Musicals based on comic strips