Andrea McArdle Joins ANNIE LIVE! as Eleanor Roosevelt

Andrea McArdle has joined the cast of Annie LIVE! as Eleanor Roosevelt. She confirmed the news on the Today Show this morning alongside Celina Smith, who is playing Annie in the new live musical on NBC.

McArdle originated the title-role in the original 1977 Broadway production of Annie. She was last seen in the musical as the Star-to-Be in Disney's 1999 film remake.

Watch the new interview below!

Scheduled to air on December 2, the new live musical will also feature Nicole Scherzinger as Grace, Jane Krakowski as Lily St. Regis, and Tituss Burgess as Rooster Hannigan.

"Annie Live!" will be executive produced by Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Alex Rudzinsky, with Lear deBessonet and Alex Rudzinski sharing the directing duties. Choreography will be led by Sergio Trujillo. Jason Sherwood will oversee production design. Stephen Oremus will orchestrate the music direction. Emilio Sosa will lead costume design. The live event is being produced by Chloe Productions.

"Annie" is one of the most beloved and biggest hits in Broadway history and the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It has been licensed and performed in 50 countries and translated into eight languages. Based on the Harold Gray comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" that debuted in 1924, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1977 and initially ran for over four years.