ANNIE National Tour to Play Brooklyn's Kings Theatre This Holiday Season

Brooklyn's newly restored Kings Theatre (1027 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY) has announced that the all-new U.S. tour of the beloved musical Annie will play a limited 16 performance only engagement at the venue this holiday season, December 15 - 27, 2015. Tickets are on sale now. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of Annie is a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award-winning original.

This production marks the first major theatrical event in the history of the former movie house, which re-opened earlier this year after a $95 million restoration. The renovation expanded the original theatre's footprint from approximately 83,000 square feet to 93,000 square feet, including an enlarged and modernized stage house, dressing rooms and loading areas, and upgraded theatrical lighting and acoustic accommodations. All of this combined has made it possible for the theatre to now accommodate and produce full-scale theatrical productions in Central Brooklyn.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Brooklyn community and families from all over New York City to the Kings Theatre as we play host to this outstanding production of Annie in December," said Matthew Wolf, Executive Director of the Kings Theatre. "Annie opened on Broadway in 1977, the same year the Kings Theatre originally shut its doors. We are excited to mark the Kings' inaugural year back on Flatbush Avenue with this classic production, suited for all ages."

Annie has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards for their work. Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro's 1977 Tony Award-winning choreography.

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 remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever. It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

The beloved 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."

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designer's Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin' Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt "Sandy" is once again trained by Tony Award Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde). Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by TROIKA Entertainment, LLC.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 10-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut. Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks. In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews. Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Jeffrey B. Duncan as FDR. Sunny, a 5-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

Tickets for are available online at KingsTheatre.com, Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, and in person at the Kings Theatre Box Office (Monday through Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.). Tickets start at $35. Groups of 10+ may call 800-BROADWAY x2 for special pricing.

The Kings Theatre is easily accessible via the MTA, LIRR and offers free parking. For information on parking and directions, click the link below: http://www.kingstheatre.com/info/parking-directions

Photo by Joan Marcus