annie (musical)

A 1977 Broadway musical created by lyricist Martin Charnin, writer Thomas Meehan and composer Charles Strouse based on 1924 comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, by Harold Gray.

Set in 1933 during the Great Depression, the musical follows Annie, an orphan girl who lives in a New York City orphanage run by the cruel Agatha Hannigan. Despite her circumstances, Annie remains bright and hopeful due to a half locket left by her birth parents who promise to find her and her pet dog, Sandy. One day, Grace Farrell, secretary to billionaire Oliver Warbucks, invites Annie to live with Warbucks to improve his public image. While at first dismissive of Annie, Warbucks grows fond of the girl due to her optimism and officially adopts her. As Annie grows conflicted due to her love for her new adopted father and her desire to search her real parents, Agatha along with her brother Rooster and his girlfriend, Lily St. Regis, plan to scam Warbucks and kidnap Annie once they learn the billionaire is offering a huge reward for information about Annie's parents.

Despite being based on the comic strip, several changes were made to the musical for various reasons (eg.In the comic Warbucks is married while in the musical he is single and Warbucks in the comic hated President Franklin D. Roosevelt due to Gray's political beliefs while in the musical both men are friends). Nevertheless, the musical was a hit and is famous thanks to its many memorable songs.

Annie would later received a film adaptation in 1982. Annie: A Royal Adventure!, was a made-for-television sequel to the 1982 film aired on ABC in 1995. A 1999 remake TV movie version of Annie aired on ABC and the Disney channel featuring several hit stars including Kathy Bates, Victor Garber and Alan Cumming and a cameo appearance of Andrea McArdle, the original actress of Annie from the 1977 musical. The 1999 version was well received and a hit in ratings and won two Emmy Awards and a 1999 George Foster Peabody Award. A modern remake of Annie was released in 2014 staring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz.