Casting is now complete for the Hollywood Bowl's upcoming production of Annie. The new cast members are Roger Bart as Daniel "Rooster" Hannigan, Kaylin Hedges as Annie, Ali Stroker as "Star-to-Be," Amir Talai as Bert Healy, Marlow Barkley as Kate, Amadi Chapata as Pepper, Noe Lynds as July, Rae Martinez as Tessie, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja as Molly, and Olivia Zenetzis as Duffy.
The production also stars the previously announced Ana Gasteyer as Miss Agatha Hannigan, David Alan Grier as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, Megan Hilty as Lily St. Regis, Lea Salonga as Grace Farrell, and Steven Weber as Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Annie will be helmed by Tony Award-nominated director
Michael Arden, conducted by
Todd Ellison, and choreographed by
Eamon Foley. Annie's book is by
Thomas Meehan, music by
Charles Strouse, and lyrics by
Martin Charnin.
Annie, the classic story of a young girl overcoming adversity, features a beloved score of hits (including "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life") and is a delightful experience for the entire family.
Subscriptions and single tickets for performances during the Hollywood Bowl 2018 summer season are available at
hollywoodbowl.com, 323 850 2000, or in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office.
Roger Bart's presence extends to both the small and big screens, as well as to the stage. He is perhaps best known for originating the role of Carmen Ghia in
Mel Brooks' Broadway musical The Producers, for which he received Tony and Drama Desk nominations. He revisited this memorable character for Universal's film adaptation of The Producers, as well as the Hollywood Bowl's 2012 production.
Bart has worked extensively in television and just recently booked the series regular role of Judge Wilson in the Freeform series Good Trouble, which is a spin-off of their successful series The Fosters. He has recurred on a number of television series including the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Epix series Graves, the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, as well as the Showtime series Episodes. Other television credits include Revenge, Desperate Housewivesand 30 Rock.
In 2017, Bart starred in the independent film Ghost Light, directed by John Stimpson. He previously starred in the independent film Speech & Debate, which is a film adaptation of
Stephen Karam's acclaimed off-Broadway play. Prior to that, he starred in Trumbo, directed by
Jay Roach and starring
Bryan Cranston (who was nominated for an Oscar) and
John Goodman.
Other film credits include Last Vegas (CBS Films), Law Abiding Citizen (Overture), Harold & Kumar 2 (New Line), The Producers (Universal), American Gangster(Universal) and The Stepford Wives (Paramount). He also voiced the role of Young Hercules in Disney's animated feature Hercules.
In addition to his Tony and Drama Desk nominations for his role in The Producers, Bart won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as Snoopy in the revival of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, directed by
Michael Mayer. He also starred in the musical Young Frankenstein as the title character, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein. Based on the 1974 smash-hit film, Young Frankenstein was the wickedly inspired re-imagining of the
Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of
Mel Brooks.
Kaylin Hedges auditioned for her first show at age six and portrayed a sheep in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The following year, she re-auditioned and landed a lead role in the show. Kaylin, a multi-talented singer, dancer, and actress, was recently seen in Kris Kringle The Musical starring Tony nominee
Cathy Rigby,
Pamela Myers, and Andrew Kennan Bolger, and most recently performed as Annie in the Westchester Broadway Theater production of Annie.
Groundbreaking performer
Ali Stroker made history as the first actress in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway when she originated the role of Anna in Deaf West's acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. She's also the first actress in a wheelchair to graduate from the NYU Tisch drama program.
After graduating from Tisch, Stroker starred on 12 episodes of the talent competition The Glee Project. She placed second and won a guest role on Fox's Glee. She then recurred in the
Kyra Sedgwick ABC series Ten Days in the Valley. She also guest starred on Fox's Lethal Weapon and CBS' Instinct.
Stroker earned a Barrymore Award nomination for starring as Olive Ostrovsky in The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In addition to her work on and off-Broadway, she's soloed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., New York's Town Hall, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
A humanitarian and advocate, Stroker is co-chair of Women Who Care, which supports United Cerebral Palsy of New York City. She's a founding member of Be More Heroic, an anti-bullying campaign which tours the country and connects with thousands of students each year. Her devotion to educating and inspiring others brought Stroker to South Africa with ARTS InsideOut, where she held theater workshops and classes for women and children affected by HIV and AIDS. Stroker's exceptional ability to improve the lives of others through the arts, whether disabled or not, is captured in her motto: "Making Your Limitations Your Opportunities."
Amir Talai recently recurred as Co-Pilot Alan on the Fox comedy LA to Vegas and will next be seen in the Untitled
Noah Baumbach Project for Netflix. Last year, he starred in The Circle with
Tom Hanks and
Emma Watson. Prior to that, he was a series regular in the ABC pilot King of 7B, the Amazon pilot Down Dog, CBS's The Ex List, and Oxygen's Campus Ladies. He has also recurred on NBC's Studio 60and Fox's The Winner. Amir has appeared on Modern Family, I'm Sorry, Two Broke Girls, Touch, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Love Bites, The Comeback, Nip/Tuck, Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, and Family Guy. His feature credits include What To Expect When You're Expecting, Legally Blonde 2, Pursuit of Happyness, and Harold & Kumar 2.
Best known for her incomparable work on Saturday Night Live,
Ana Gasteyer can currently be seen starring in two critically acclaimed television series: People of Earth on TBS and Lady Dynamite opposite Maria Bamford on Netflix. Her other television credits include The Goldbergs (as drama teacher Miss Cinoman), Great News, The Good Wife, Suburgatory, Girls, Law & Order, and in two recent live network musicals: as Principal McGee in Grease Live!, which received record ratings on Fox, and as Mrs. Schwartz in A Christmas Story (in which she performed the original song "Market for a Miracle" by
Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul).
On the big screen, Gasteyer has been seen in Mean Girls, What Women Want, The Women, Dick, and Wine Country, co-staring with
Amy Poehler,
Maya Rudolph,
Rachel Dratch, Paula Pell,
Emily Spivey, and
Tina Fey. On stage, Gasteyer starred opposite
Jonathan Groff in the Encores! Off-Center production of A New Brain and has dazzled audiences on Broadway with celebrated performances in Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Royal Family, The Threepenny Opera, and as Elphaba in Wicked (after having originated the role in the Chicago company). She also played
Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and Fosca in
Stephen Sondheim's Passion at the
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Last year, Gasteyer triumphed in her first residency at the famed Café Carlyle in NYC, where she performed an eclectic range of covers and reimagined classics from her well-received jazz album I'm Hip.
Three-time Tony and Grammy Award® nominee
David Alan Grier was trained in Shakespeare at Yale, where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on
Comedy Central's list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time." Currently, Grier is touring the stand-up comedy circuit with the In Living Color cast.
On the big screen, he was recently seen in The Big Sick. Grier made his film debut in Streamers (1983), directed by
Robert Altman, for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie Dance Flick (2009). He can be seen in the upcoming
Will Smith-produced film Sprinter.
Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award-winning sketch comedy show In Living Color (1990-1994), where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000-2001), and Life with Bonnie (2003), which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. He created, wrote, and executive-produced a show for
Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008) and starred in The Watsons Go to Birmingham, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Paul Curtis' 1996 Newbery Award-winning novel by the same name. In 2014, Grier starred as Principal Carl Gaines on the CBS series Bad Teacher. He will star in The Cool Kids from
20th Century Fox Television in association with FX Productions later this year.
Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite
Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation, A Soldier's Story (1984).
In 2009/2010, Grier starred in
David Mamet's acclaimed play Race opposite
James Spader and
Kerry Washington at the
Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, a performance for which he received his second Tony nomination. Grier received the third Tony nomination of his career in 2012 for his performance in the "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (The New York Times) in The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess. Grier received his first Grammy nomination when the cast recording of The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess received a 2013 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
Megan Hilty is most recognizable for her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC's musical drama Smash. She followed up the series with a starring role on the NBC comedy Sean Saves the World. Hilty received critical acclaim for her role of Brooke Ashton in the
Roundabout Theater Company's revival of Noises Off. She earned nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Drama League Award, and won a Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Featured Actress in a Play.
Her television credits include recurring roles on Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, The Good Wife, Braindead, and Louie, among many others. Hilty regularly performs with orchestras across the country. Her solo show - including her sold-out
Carnegie Hall debut - has received critical acclaim. She recently released a live album entitled
Megan Hilty Live at the Café Carlyle, comprised of songs from her concert tour, and a Christmas album entitled A Merry Little Christmas with
Megan Hilty. A native of Seattle, Hilty moved to New York City after graduating from the prestigious
Carnegie Mellon University and quickly made her Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked. She went on to perform the role in both the national tour and in Los Angeles.
Lea Salonga is a singer and actress who is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to the Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World Awards in the field of musical theater. She was also the first Asian to play Éponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and returned to the beloved show as Fantine in the 2006 revival, in addition to starring in the 10th- and 25th-Anniversary Concerts filmed and recorded for PBS. Lea's other Broadway appearances include Flower Drum Song and Allegiance. Lea most recently starred in the acclaimed Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Once on This Island.
Many fans of all ages recognize Lea as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II. For her portrayal of the beloved princesses, the
Walt Disney Company bestowed her with the honor of "Disney Legend" in August of 2011.
As a concert artist, Lea has toured the world, performing sold-out concerts in some of the world's most iconic venues, including the Sydney Opera House,
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Singapore's Esplanade, Hong Kong Cultural Center,
Carnegie Hall, and London's O2 Arena.
Steven Weber made his New York stage debut opposite
Geraldine Page in Odets' Paradise Lost and soon made it to Broadway in
Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing.After a stint on As the World Turns, he went on to appear in The Flamingo Kid, Hamburger Hill, Single White Female, The Temp, Jeffrey, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It!
On television, Weber played the young John F. Kennedy in the mini-series The Kennedys of Massachusetts and Jack Torrance in ABC's remake of The Shining.Weber gained national attention in the NBC sitcom Wings, and again, ten years later, in
Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Returning to the stage, Weber played
Leo Bloom in the hit Broadway production The Producers, starred in National Anthems at London's
Old Vic, and, most recently, in The Philanthropist opposite
Matthew Broderick.
Weber's latest work includes starring in TNT's Murder in the First, ABC Family's Chasing Life, CW's iZombie and guest-starring in "The Shucker" in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Currently, he can be seen on Ballers and in the upcoming season of the Epix series Get Shorty. Last summer, Weber appeared for the first time at the Hollywood Bowl in the acclaimed production of Mamma Mia!
Director
Michael Arden, who is currently represented on Broadway with his Tony-winning revival of Once on This Island, is a Tony-nominated director both for that production and for his revival of Spring Awakening, which transferred from Deaf West Theater in Los Angeles to Broadway in fall 2015. He also won the Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Director of a Musical and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the production.
Michael made his Broadway debut in Deaf West Theater and the
Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Big River. Other directing credits include My Fair Lady at
Bay Street Theater; Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis
Annenberg Center in Los Angeles, where he is the Artist in Residence; LA Ronde for his company The Forest of Arden; and For the Record:
John Hughes in LA and NYC. His production of The Pride opened at the Wallis
Annenberg Center in June 2017.
Other theater credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Times They Are a Changin', Ragtime (Avery Fisher Hall), It's Only Life, Swimming in the Shallows, Ace, Juno, As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, The Secret Garden, Pippin (
Mark Taper Forum), and Aspects of Love at the
Menier Chocolate Factory in London. Michael's film work includes Source Code, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Bride Wars and So B. It. He has also worked extensively in TV, most notably on FX and Fox's Anger Management. Other TV credits include GCB, Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Unforgettable, Off the Map, Kings, The Closer, The Forgotten, Bones, The Return of Jezebel James, Cashmere Mafia, Grey's Anatomy, and NUMB3RS. Concert work includes singing with
Barbra Streisand,
Chris Botti, and performances at Feinstein's/54 Below, at the Regency, and
Joe's Pub. Michael is an alum of The Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School.
Conductor
Todd Ellison has been hailed by The New York Times as one of "Broadway's Electric Conductors." Recently named Music Director-Designate of The Philly POPS and currently the music supervisor/conductor/arranger of the new Broadway bound musical Roman Holiday, he is also the composer of the award-winning new musical The Black and White Ball with
Stephen Cole, as well as The Canterville Hotel with
Brendan Cull. He also composed the songs "The Long Way" for
Emily Skinner and "Gettin' Nowhere Fast" for
Guy Haines. He is currently the music supervisor of An American in Paris at the Dominion Theater in London's West End, as well as for 42nd Street at the Drury Lane Theater. His Broadway credits include
Michel Legrand's Amour, Monty Python's Spamalot (Best Musical Tony Award), La Cage aux Folles (Best Musical Revival Tony Award), 42nd Street (Best Revival Tony Award),
Elton John's Lestat, Annie, The Wild Party, On the Town, Once Upon a Mattress (starring
Sarah Jessica Parker), How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (starring
Matthew Broderick), She Loves Me, Taller than a Dwarf, and A Class Act.
Ellison was the music director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the famed Radio City Music Hall for several seasons. As
Marvin Hamlisch's music director, Ellison worked with him on his productions of Ballroom and The Nutty Professor, directed by
Jerry Lewis. He has conducted more than 20 albums, including the Grammy Award-winning cast albums of his shows. He has accompanied such stars as Beyoncé,
Meryl Streep,
Mike Nichols,
Nicole Kidman,
Barry Manilow,
Jane Lynch,
Bea Arthur,
Bernadette Peters,
Tracey Ullman, and
Kelsey Grammer.
Choreographer
Eamon Foley is the Founder and Artistic Director of Grind Arts Company, which creates art at the intersection of live performance and digital media. Broadway performing credits include Gypsy, Assassins, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 13: The Musical, and Everyday Rapture. He recently choreographed Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis
Annenberg Center in Los Angeles, an aerial dance "Game of Thrones" piece for Broadway Bares, and is currently creating a contemporary ballet in the medium of virtual reality with ModernEpic and Grind Arts. His directing credits include Cyrano, The Last Five Years, Sweeney Todd, Nine, and Hero.
The original Broadway production of Annie opened in 1977, won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and went on to run for nearly six years, as well as yielding countless productions around the world. Since 1990, Annie has been performed in 57 countries/territories and translated into 28 languages. It was made into two top-grossing movies, and rapper Jay-Z's quadruple platinum album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life - which memorably sampled the music in the song "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" - won the 1999 Grammy for Best Rap Album.
Charles Strouse, the Tony Award-winning composer of Annie (as well as Bye ByeBirdie, Applause, and some of the most popular music from the last 60 years of Broadway, film, and television) turns 90 this June. To mark the occasion, a year-long celebration of events, including tributes, concerts, revivals, and international productions, will take place across the United States and around the world. Strouse's iconic songs - from "Tomorrow" and "Put on a Happy Face" to "Those Were the Days" (theme from All in the Family) - will be heard worldwide, from Abu Dhabi to Congo to Belgium, on television in The Simpsons, and at the Hollywood Bowl with Annie.
