Whoopi Goldberg To Star As 'Miss Hannigan' When ANNIE Tour Hits NYC

The iconic Tony Award-winning musical ANNIE is returning to Chicago and New York City this holiday season with a limited three-week engagement at The Chicago Theatre from November 12 through December 1 and a limited five-week engagement at The Theater at Madison Square Garden from December 4, 2024 through January 5, 2025.

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg will join the New York cast as ‘Miss Hannigan’ beginning Wednesday, December 11 through January 5 only. Tickets for ANNIE in Chicago and New York go on sale to the general public this Friday, August 9, 2024 at 10:00AM local time.

The tour will continue to more than 25 cities across North America in 2025, including Baltimore, Indianapolis, Costa Mesa, Milwaukee, Austin, Birmingham and more. For a complete list of tour dates, please visit AnnieTour.com.

ANNIE is a heartwarming musical that for generations has reminded audiences that “the sun will come out tomorrow.” And now the best-loved musical of all time returns in a new production that celebrates family, optimism and the American spirit as the ultimate cure for the hard knocks life throws your way.

ANNIE is directed by Jenn Thompson, who at the age of 10 stepped into the role of “Pepper” in the Original Broadway production, choreographed by Patricia Wilcox (Motown, A Night with Janis Joplin), with orchestrations by Dan DeLange. The tour music supervisor is Matthew Smedal. Talitha Fehr is the Music Coordinator. The design team includes scenic design by Wilson Chin (Pass Over), costume design by Alejo Vietti (Jersey Boys), based on lighting design by Philip Rosenberg, sound design by Ken Travis (Disney’s Aladdin), hair & wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan and casting by Paul Hardt of Hardt Casting, LLC.

ANNIE features the book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards® for their work.

The original production of ANNIE opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977 and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. ANNIE was revived on Broadway in both 1997 and 2014, and has been made into a major motion picture three times – in 1982, 1999 and 2014. ANNIE has been staged at The Theater at MSG once before, in 2006.

“ANNIE is a celebration of family and what can happen when you hold on to hope above all else. We’re delighted to kick off our new 2024-2025 tour at the iconic Chicago Theatre—arriving with a little ray of sunshine when we all need it most.” said Tony Award-winning composer Charles Strouse. “It is also a dream come true to bring ANNIE back home to New York City for the first time in ten years, just in time for the holidays. And having the iconic Whoopi Goldberg join the company and make her first appearance ever in a production of ANNIE is a gift to us all! I know Martin and Tom would be thrilled, too.”

“I love the theatre, and in my mind, there is no better way to spend the holidays than to get back on stage,” said Whoopi Goldberg. “I can’t wait to step in to the delicious role of Miss Hannigan and perform for the greatest audiences in the world—in my hometown of New York City.”

Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the Grammy, the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the Emmy and Daytime Emmy, and a Tony Award. She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, and many other causes and charities. Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg’s film version of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Since then, she has starred in such films as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Clara’s Heart, The Long Walk Home, Soapdish, Sister Act, Made in America, Boys on the Side, Ghosts of Mississippi, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Girl, Interrupted, and such animated classics as The Lion King and Toy Story 3. Goldberg has also produced numerous series, specials and movies for television, as well as theatrical productions on Broadway and around the world, including the Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie and the Tony-nominated Sister Act: The Musical. In addition to her own critically-acclaimed shows, Goldberg’s Broadway credits also include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Xanadu. She made her West End stage debut in 2011, in a special limited run as Mother Superior in Sister Act: The Musical. She currently moderates ABC’s Emmy Award-winning The View, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award.

This production of ANNIE is licensed by Music Theatre International and is produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland Productions Inc. and Crossroads Live North America. For additional information on this production of ANNIE, including future casting and additional tour stops, please visit AnnieTour.com.