Annie, the Musical at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center

Leapin’ Lizards: Annie’s finally making it to the Axelrod’s main stage, starring the original Annie, Andrea McArdle, as Miss Hannigan! The world’s most popular musical, Annie opened on Broadway in 1977 and quickly become a worldwide hit, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Axelrod’s production will be directed and choreographed by Al Blackstone (So You Think You Can Dance and Broadway’s Wicked).

Derived from a most unlikely source—Harold Gray’s comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” the musical made a star of Miss McArdle and named millions of mutts “Sandy” around the world. Celebrating his 90th birthday in 2018, composer Charles Strouse hit Broadway gold with one of the most celebrated scores in theater history.

With a book and lyrics by Thomas Meehan and Martin Charnin, Annie is set in the Great Depression but promises uplifting family entertainment like no other musical. Whenever Annie is playing, audiences are assured: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”