Taylor Richardson News

According to a report by MSN Music News, Jay-Z will head musical direction for the soundtrack of the new Annie film starring Willow Smith.

Two-time Tony Award® winner Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises, Noises Off) will star as Miss Hannigan in the new production of ANNIE, the Tony Award-winning classic musical. ANNIE opens November 8 at the Palace Theatre (1567 Broadway at 47th Street). Previews begin October 3.

ANNIE, the new production of the Tony Award-winning classic musical, will play the legendary Palace Theatre (1567 Broadway at 47th Street) on Broadway. ANNIE will begin previews Wednesday, October 3 and will open Thursday, November 8, 2012.

After more than 5,000 auditions in a coast-to-coast search, ANNIE has announced casting for the orphans for the new production of the classic Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. ANNIE will open on Broadway in Fall 2012 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. The production will be directed by three-time Tony Award winner James Lapine and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas makes its Richmond, Va., stage debut this year at the historic Empire Theatre. The show, produced by Barksdale Theatre, opened November 19 and will run through January 9. It is directed by Patti D'Beck, who last year won the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle awards for best direction of a musical and best choreography for Barksdale's Thoroughly Modern Millie (which won 10 awards total). Like many of her leading players in White Christmas, D'Beck is a Broadway veteran, having performed in or associate-choreographed such shows as Pippin, A Chorus Line, Evita, Grease and Bells Are Ringing.