RIALTO CHATTER: Update- Rosie O'Donnell in Negotiations for ANNIE?

Comedian, talk show host, producer and star Rosie O'Donnell has made no secret of her desire to play 'Miss Hannigan' in the upcoming Broadway revival of ANNIE. Now, an insider has told the Huffington Post that she will indeed be returning to Broadway in the revival. The source told HP: "Ro loves Broadway and is super excited about playing the part. The paperwork hasn't been signed yet but the negotiations are well under way. This is a great role that she will be able to sink her teeth into and will get her back to acting and performing live, which has always been her first love."

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As BroadwayWorld previously reported, soon after the cancellation of THE Rosie Show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, it was was revealed that O'Donnell was in New York, "taking a meeting for a revival of ANNIE."

Tweeting on Friday night after the news with Kristin Chenoweth, Rosie also revealed "...thats show biz - and i am happy to have had the chance and now to be back home in ny ------ maybe broadway"

ANNIE, directed by Tony Award-winner James Lapine, will open in fall 2012 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. ANNIE features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan, based on the newspaper character "Little Orphan Annie" by Harold Gray.

ANNIE will be produced on Broadway by Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Jane Bergère, Roger Berlind, Debbie Bisno, Roy Furman, Stacey Mindich, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Daryl Roth in association with Christina Papagjika/Eva Price.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin). The show was one of the biggest Broadway musical hits of the 1970s, running for almost six years and playing 2,377 performances.

The score for ANNIE includes "Maybe," "It's the Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," "Easy Street," "I Don't Need Anything But You" and the eternal anthem of optimism, "Tomorrow".

O'Donnell, who produced the 2003 Broadway show Taboo, has starred on Broadway in Grease (Rizzo), Seussical (Cat in the Hat) and Fiddler on the Roof (Golde), and off-Broadway in Love, Loss and What I Wore, as well as regionally in Find Me.

Photo Credit: Monica Simoes

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