Olney Theatre Presents ANNIE, Closes 1/2

Leapin' Lizards!  America's most beloved musical, Annie, offers its classic tale about never giving up hope just in time for the holiday season.
 
Annie plays the Mainstage through January 2.  Tickets are $26 to $54, with discounts available to groups, seniors, military, and students.  Call the Box Office at 301.924.3400 or visit olneytheatre.org for tickets and information.  In addition, Olney offers several special performances that include sign interpretation, audio description, and post-show discussions.  Please see the attached Fact Sheet for more details.

The original Broadway production of Annie won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book, and Score.  It ran for 2,377 performances, and has subsequently been produced worldwide.  The original production is one of the top 25 longest running shows in Broadway history, and Annie continues to be one of the most successful musicals ever.
 
Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's A Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C.," and the ever optimistic "Tomorrow," Annie was written by Thomas Meehan, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin.
 
The musical tells the story of Annie, an orphan, and her dog Sandy, who are placed in the lap of luxury for a week as a part of a publicity campaign for Oliver Warbucks.  However, Annie's stay turns out to be much more than anyone had bargained for as she works her way into everyone's hearts and learns a few things for herself.
 
The musical Annie is based on the cartoon Little Orphan Annie, originally created in 1924 by Harold Grey.  The comic strip was one of the first to use long-running storylines.  At its peak, it appeared in hundreds of newspapers.  During the 1945 newspaper deliverymen's strike in New York City, the mayor read Annie's adventures over the radio, so as not to disappoint her followers.  Annie outlived Grey, and only recently was retired from the funny pages this past June.
 
Olney's cast of 29 features Caitlin Deerin as the spunky Annie and George Dvorsky as her benefactor and friend Daddy Warbucks, both making their Olney Theatre Center debuts.  Channez McQuay takes a turn as misguided Miss Hannigan, while Bobby Smith, who recently directed Forever Plaid at Olney, plays her outrageous brother Rooster.  Last seen on Olney's stage in Camelot, Carrie A. Johnson portrays Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbucks' right hand gal.
 
The remainder of the cast for Annie is included in the Fact Sheet below.  Each of the orphans' roles will be shared by two actors; the role of Sandy will be shared by two dogs.
 
Mark Waldrop returns to Olney to direct this production of Annie.  Waldrop directed Olney's successful adaptation of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.  He directed Bette Midler's 1999 Divine Miss Millennium tour as well as Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends (2002 Tony Award nomination, Special Theatrical Event).  His off-Broadway credits include Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly (1997 Drama Desk and Outer Critic's Circle Awards, OBIE), My Deah, Game Show, Pete 'n' Keely, Listen to My Heart, and Whatnot (Richard Rodgers Production Award).
 
Musical direction for Annie is by Christopher Youstra, with choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee.  Original costume design is by Theoni Aldredge, and original set design is by Ming Cho Lee.  The creative team includes Charlie Morrison (Lighting Design), G.W. Rodriguez (Sound Design), Anne Nesmith (Wig Design), and Renee E. Yancey (Stage Manager).

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