ANNIE and STOMP Come to Playhouse Square

Playhouse Square announced that single tickets for the upcoming engagements of ANNIE and STOMP will go on sale Friday, January 12th. Tickets will be available by visiting playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000. Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 216-640-8600.  Both ANNIE and STOMP are Huntington Featured Performances at Playhouse Square.

 Annie

Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in this new production–just as you remember it and just when we need it most. This celebration of family, optimism and the American spirit remains the ultimate cure for all the hard knocks life throws your way.

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

“This show, with its iconic title character, continues to delight generations of theatre-lovers old and new by joyfully singing directly into the face of great adversity with perseverance, guts and guile,” said director Jenn Thompson. “For decades, ANNIE has continued to shine brightly, not only as an appeal to our better angels, but also as an example of the thrill of hope, hard-won: promising a better ‘Tomorrow’ not only for Annie herself, but for all who need her message now more than ever.”

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), music supervision by Matthew Smedal, with orchestrations by Dan DeLange. Talitha Fehr is the Music Coordinator and Jennifer Christina is the Music Director. 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.

In the title role of Annie is Rainier “Rainey” Treviño, an 11 year old from Chesapeake, Virginia making her national tour debut.  Returning principal cast includes Stefanie Londino as “Miss Hannigan,” Christopher Swan as “Oliver Warbucks,” Julia Nicole Hunter as “Grace,” and Mark Woodard as “FDR.” Also starring in the tour are Jeffrey T. Kelly as “Rooster” and Samantha Stevens as “Lily. Seamus stars as “Sandy.”

The Orphans are Savannah Austin, Arianna Guller, Avery Hope, Addie Jaymes, Kylie Noelle Patterson and Jade Smith.

The featured ensemble includes Savannah Fisher, Jerquintez A. Gipson, Caroline Glazier, Chance K. Ingalls, Kaleb Jenkins, Jaelle Laguerre, Tony Mowatt, Ryan Mulvaney, Kaylie Mae Wallace, Callie Alexa, Brooke Olivia Gatto, and Trent Tyson.

ANNIE is a Huntington Featured Performance at Playhouse Square, playing the Connor Palace for eight performances, March 19 - 24, 2024. Show times are Tuesday – Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be available online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000 beginning Friday, January 12th. 

 STOMP

From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past 29 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 26 million people.

The performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-founder/director Luke Cresswell.  A unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, STOMP has created its own inimitable, contemporary form of rhythmic expression: both household and industrial objects find new life as musical instruments in the hands of an idiosyncratic band of body percussionists.  It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the everyday and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum.

Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra, eight Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion.  STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - dustbins, suitcases, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps - to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated.

Critics and audiences have raved: “STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday,” says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares “STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” The Los Angeles Times exclaims: “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune.

STOMP is a Huntington Featured Performance at Playhouse Square, playing the Connor Palace for eight performances, April 17 - 21, 2024. Show times are Wednesday – Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30PM, and Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 PM. A special matinee performance will also be held on Thursday, April 18, at 12:30 p.m. Tickets will be available online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000 beginning Friday, January 12th. 

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