90-766: James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist . He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods , Falsettos , and Passion . He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn . Lapine was born on January 10, 1949, in Mansfield, Ohio , the son of Lillian (Feld) and David Sanford Lapine. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1971. Though he did not actively pursue theatre in childhood, Lapine did play Jack in an elementary school production of Jack and
180-522: A Hooverville , a shanty town full of formerly well-off people suddenly rendered homeless by the Great Depression . They sarcastically toast the former president ("We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"). The shanty town is broken up by the cops, who take Annie back to the orphanage, where Miss Hannigan punishes her with extra chores. At the orphanage, Miss Hannigan vents her frustration at being surrounded by children (" Little Girls "). Grace Farrell,
270-592: A psychiatric hospital for their crimes. Annie is officially adopted by Warbucks, who notes that this Christmas is the beginning of a new life for them, for the orphans (all of whom are adopted by wealthy friends of Warbucks), and for the rest of the country, thanks to Roosevelt's New Deal ("A New Deal for Christmas"/"Tomorrow (Second Reprise)"). Source: MTI Shows 1977 1978 1978 1997 1998 2012 2018 Tasha Gold Libby Gore Sophie McShera Original Broadway Second Broadway Revival The New York Times estimates that Annie
360-504: A 40th anniversary traveling production of Annie was launched by TROIKA Entertainment. Directed by Martin Charnin, the tour kicked off in Detroit , Michigan. For the first year of the tour, Issie Swickle played the title character Annie with Faith Perez as her alternate, alongside Gilgamesh Taggett and Lynn Andrews as Warbucks and Miss Hannigan, respectively. There were many replacements throughout
450-509: A close in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 21, 2017, after 745 performances. Another tour directed by Jenn Thompson, who played Pepper in the original Broadway production, began October 4, 2022, and ended June 11, 2023, with Ellie Rose Pulsifer as the title role. Another leg of the tour began October 7, 2023, and ended May 19, 2024, with Rainier Trevino playing Annie. Afterwards, the tour moved on to Macau , China, and opened there on August 2, 2024, with
540-544: A few more cities until it landed in Chicago where it played for 32 weeks. In April 1979, it continued on the road in with Mary K. Lombardi now in the lead as Annie. In the fall of 1980, Theda Stemler took over the part and was replaced in Boston when she grew too old. On May 15, 1981, Louanne Sirota , who had played Annie in the long-running Los Angeles production, took over the role for four months. In August 1981, Becky Snyder became
630-461: A handout. When Miss Hannigan mentions that Annie is going to be adopted by Warbucks, Rooster realizes they can use this situation to their advantage to bring Annie back to Miss Hannigan, before it's too late ("Easy Street"). Having noticed a broken locket around Annie's neck, Warbucks buys her a new, more expensive one from Tiffany's . He wonders whether he is ready for such a big change in his life ("Why Should I Change A Thing?"). When he offers Annie
720-443: A highly successful play by its librettist, Gabriele D'Annunzio , a celebrated Italian poet, novelist and dramatist of the day. In some cases, the operatic adaptation has become more famous than the literary text on which it was based, as with Claude Debussy 's Pelléas et Mélisande after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck . The question of which is more important in opera – the music or the words – has been debated over time, and forms
810-582: A lifetime of exceptional achievement in the theatre." Lapine's book Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George was released on August 3, 2021, and reviewed by Alan Cumming in a cover story in the New York Times Book Review on August 8, 2021. Lapine is married to American screenwriter and director Sarah Kernochan . The couple's daughter is food writer Phoebe Lapine. James Lapine's niece, Sarna Lapine, directed
900-467: A month or less. On March 27, 1981, Bridget Walsh took over as Annie. Becky Snyder (who had closed the first national tour) joined this company in the summer of 1982 and stayed with it until it closed in September of that year. The fourth national touring company opened on September 11, 1981, with Mollie Hall playing Annie. This production was a "bus and truck" tour, with a slightly reduced cast, that traveled
990-533: A movie, while he works, but when he realizes that Annie has never seen New York, he decides to take her there, himself, walking the 45 blocks to the Roxy and seeing New York City in all of its glory ("N.Y.C."). Grace pays Miss Hannigan a visit to tell her that Warbucks wants to officially adopt Annie. Hannigan becomes furiously envious that the orphan she hated so much will suddenly have everything. Her ne'er-do-well brother Rooster and his girlfriend, Lily, drop by, in hopes of
SECTION 10
#17328590905131080-567: A part in the decision. "Maybe they do not want audiences to know Nell Carter is black", she told the New York Post . However, the ads did mention that Carter was in the show. "It hurts a lot", Carter told the Post, "I've asked them nicely to stop it — it's insulting to me as a black woman." Later reports stated that "Nell Carter of Broadway's ' Annie ' denied Thursday that she called her show's producers racist because they chose to air commercials featuring
1170-493: A previous Miss Hannigan—who is white—instead of her." Her statement, released by the Associated Press , read: "'Yes, it is true that I and my representatives have gone to management on more than one occasion about the commercial and were told that there was nothing they could do about it,' Carter said in a statement Thursday. 'Therefore, I have resigned myself to the fact that this is the way it is.' The statement also addressed
1260-464: A screenplay by his wife, Sarah Kernochan . The story revolves around the romance of George Sand and Chopin , and stars Judy Davis and Hugh Grant . He followed with Life With Mikey , with Michael J. Fox for Disney. In 1993, he directed Passion , starring the original Broadway cast, for television. He directed the film version of Anne Tyler's novel Earthly Possessions , starring Susan Sarandon and Stephen Dorff , for HBO in 1999. He wrote
1350-559: A strand of mysteries in Dickens' tales. Meehan's book was accepted by Charnin and Strouse, but considerable material had to be trimmed out – material which Meehan would later restore for his novelization. In 1933, in New York City , eleven-year-old Annie sleeps in an orphanage, with many other girls her age. When six-year-old Molly wakes up from a bad dream, Annie comforts her, by singing about her own parents; even though they abandoned her at
1440-445: A subject and developing a sketch of the action in the form of a scenario , as well as revisions that might come about when the work is in production, as with out-of-town tryouts for Broadway musicals, or changes made for a specific local audience. A famous case of the latter is Wagner's 1861 revision of the original 1845 Dresden version of his opera Tannhäuser for Paris. The opera libretto from its inception ( c. 1600 )
1530-497: A success, and so for the first two tours and the Malaysian Genting Highlands Production, the role of Annie was then shared by Faye Spittlehouse and a young Lucy May Barker . Miss Hannigan was later performed by Su Pollard and Ruth Madoc and Daddy Warbucks by Mark Wynter . This particular production toured from 2001 to 2007 and resumed in September 2008. The last tour of this production ended in 2011 with
1620-522: A succession of actresses took on the lead role every four months. One of the last girls to perform the role at the Victoria Palace before the show went on tour was 10-year-old Claudia Bradley from Leeds , who was featured on a 1981 BBC program called Fame . She went on to perform on the tour as well. A 20th anniversary Broadway revival , which played at the Martin Beck Theatre (now called
1710-489: A surprise visit from Roosevelt and his Secret Service . The FBI has learned that Annie's parents are actually David and Margaret Bennett, who died long ago in a fire when Annie was a baby. Mr. and Mrs. "Mudge" show up to take Annie along with the money, but are quickly revealed to be none other than Rooster and Lily; the Secret Service arrests them along with Miss Hannigan, for child abuse , and all three villains are sent to
1800-929: A total of 2,377 performances, setting a record for the longest running show at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre ), until it was surpassed by Hairspray in 2009. During the Broadway run of Annie , there were four touring companies that were launched from the original production to tour to major North American cities: The first national touring company opened in Toronto in March 1978 with Kathy Jo Kelly as Annie, Norwood Smith as Daddy Warbucks, Jane Connell , Ruth Kobart as Miss Hannigan, and Gary Beach as Rooster. It played in Miami from April 12 to May 13, 1978, then continued for
1890-468: A week of performances, Vigard was replaced by Andrea McArdle , who had been playing one of the other orphans, Pepper. Vigard went on to become McArdle's Broadway alternate . After the Goodspeed run ended, the role of Miss Hannigan was also recast, as original actor Maggie Task's performance was considered too mean. Producer Mike Nichols suggested comedy actress Dorothy Loudon to bring the humour out of
SECTION 20
#17328590905131980-538: Is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass , requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet . The Italian word libretto ( pronounced [liˈbretto] , plural libretti [liˈbretti] ) is the diminutive of the word libro ("book"). Sometimes other-language equivalents are used for libretti in that language, livret for French works, Textbuch for German and libreto for Spanish. A libretto
2070-462: Is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use the word libretto to refer to the 15- to 40-page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a very detailed description of the ballet's story, scene by scene. The relationship of
2160-588: Is greatly different from the Edna Ferber novel from which it was adapted , uses some of Ferber's original dialogue, notably during the miscegenation scene. And Lionel Bart 's Oliver! uses chunks of dialogue from Charles Dickens 's novel Oliver Twist , although it bills itself as a "free adaptation" of the novel. As the originating language of opera, Italian dominated that genre in Europe (except in France) well through
2250-419: Is not always written before the music. Some composers, such as Mikhail Glinka , Alexander Serov , Rimsky-Korsakov , Puccini and Mascagni wrote passages of music without text and subsequently had the librettist add words to the vocal melody lines (this has often been the case with American popular song and musicals in the 20th century, as with Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 's collaboration, although with
2340-619: Is offering $ 50,000 to the couple who can prove they are her parents. Healy, then, sings a song with the Boylan Sisters (" You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile "). At the orphanage, the girls are listening to the show. They joyously sing along ("You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Reprise)"). A couple claiming to be Annie's parents, Ralph and Shirley Mudge, arrive at the orphanage. In fact, they are Rooster and Lily in disguise. They believe they can pass themselves off as Annie's parents, with Hannigan's help, for which she demands half of
2430-596: Is performed 700 to 900 times, each year, in the United States. Annie had its world premiere on August 10, 1976, at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam , Connecticut , under the direction of Michael P. Price . Kristen Vigard was the first actress to play the title role. However, the producers soon decided that Vigard's genuinely sweet interpretation was not tough enough for the street-smart orphan. After
2520-484: The Al Hirschfeld Theatre ) in 1997, entitled Annie, the 20th Anniversary , starred Nell Carter as Miss Hannigan, but controversy surrounded the casting of the titular character. The original actress cast in the role, Joanna Pacitti , was fired and replaced by Brittny Kissinger (who had been playing orphan July) just two weeks before her Broadway debut, while battling bronchitis in Boston. The pre-Broadway tour
2610-478: The Palace Theatre on October 3, 2012, and officially opened on November 8, 2012, receiving mixed reviews. Notable replacements include Jane Lynch and Faith Prince as Miss Hannigan. On July 30, Taylor Richardson and Sadie Sink both began alternating the role of Annie, replacing Crawford. This production closed on January 5, 2014, after 38 previews and 487 regular performances. Starting in September 2014,
2700-575: The Shubert Theatre . Children's television host Tom Hatten played Franklin D. Roosevelt . On June 12, 1979, Sirota, just 9 years old (up until that time, all Annies had been 11 or older), took over the role from Patts. Marisa Morell took the role in December 1979, closing the Los Angeles run and continuing on tour with the show through December 1980. Kristi Coombs (who played the youngest orphan Molly in
2790-422: The aria " Nessun dorma " from Puccini's Turandot , the final lines in the libretto are "Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò!" (Fade, you stars! At dawn, I will win!). However, in the score they are sung as "Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!". Because the modern musical tends to be published in two separate but intersecting formats (i.e., the book and lyrics, with all
James Lapine - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-485: The downbeat mood of the then-current Nixon era and Vietnam War , Meehan set his story in New York during the similarly downbeat Great Depression . Meehan saw the character of Annie as a 20th-century American female version of the titular orphan characters created by Charles Dickens in works such as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield , with the mystery of Annie's abandonment and unknown parenthood as consistent with
2970-431: The librettist (that is, the writer of a libretto) to the composer in the creation of a musical work has varied over the centuries, as have the sources and the writing techniques employed. In the context of a modern English-language musical theatre piece, the libretto is considered to encompass both the book of the work (i.e., the spoken dialogue) and the sung lyrics. Libretti for operas, oratorios and cantatas in
3060-415: The public domain ) this format is supplemented with melodic excerpts of musical notation for important numbers. Printed scores for operas naturally contain the entire libretto, although there can exist significant differences between the score and the separately printed text. More often than not, this involves the extra repetition of words or phrases from the libretto in the actual score. For example, in
3150-463: The 17th and 18th centuries were generally written by someone other than the composer, often a well-known poet. Pietro Trapassi , known as Metastasio (1698–1782) was one of the most highly regarded librettists in Europe. His libretti were set many times by many different composers. Another noted 18th-century librettist was Lorenzo Da Ponte . He wrote the libretti for three of Mozart 's greatest operas, and for many other composers as well. Eugène Scribe
3240-652: The 18th century, and even into the next century in Russia, for example, when the Italian opera troupe in Saint Petersburg was challenged by the emerging native Russian repertory. Significant exceptions before 1800 can be found in Purcell 's works, Handel 's first operas, ballad opera and Singspiel of the 18th century, etc. Just as with literature and song, the libretto has its share of problems and challenges with translation . In
3330-670: The 2009-10 tour, Kerth returned as Annie along with most of the previous year's cast, adding Jordan Boezem (from Spotlight Kids in Sarasota, Florida ) in the role of July. A 35th Anniversary production opened on Broadway in 2012. Thomas Meehan revised the musical, with James Lapine directing. Lilla Crawford starred as Annie with Katie Finneran as Miss Hannigan, and Anthony Warlow making his long-awaited Broadway debut as Warbucks. Featured cast included Brynn O'Malley, Clarke Thorell and J. Elaine Marcos as Grace Farrell, Rooster and Lily St. Regis, respectively. The revival started previews at
3420-419: The 2016 concert version and the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George . He has written the libretti for the following musicals: Libretto A libretto (From the Italian word libretto , lit. ' booklet ' ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera , operetta , masque , oratorio , cantata or musical . The term libretto
3510-614: The Beanstalk . Lapine studied photography and graphic design at the California Institute of the Arts , where he received an MFA in 1973. He was a photographer, graphic designer , and architectural preservationist, and taught design at the Yale School of Drama . At Yale University he wrote an adaptation of and directed Gertrude Stein 's Photograph , which was produced Off-Broadway at
3600-569: The Hard Knock Life " are among its most popular musical numbers. Martin Charnin first approached Thomas Meehan to write the book of a musical about Little Orphan Annie , in 1972. Meehan researched, by rereading prints of the comic strip, but he was unable to find any satisfactory material for a musical, other than the characters of Annie, Oliver Warbucks , and Sandy, so, he decided to write his own story. As Meehan, Charnin, and Charles Strouse were all from New York, and given what he saw as
3690-461: The Lilacs , Carousel used dialogue from Ferenc Molnár 's Liliom , My Fair Lady took most of its dialogue word-for-word from George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion , Man of La Mancha was adapted from the 1959 television play I, Don Quixote , which supplied most of the dialogue, and the 1954 musical version of Peter Pan used J. M. Barrie 's dialogue. Even the musical Show Boat , which
James Lapine - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-706: The Open Space in SoHo in 1977. He went on to write and direct Off-Broadway plays and musicals, directing composer William Finn 's March of the Falsettos in 1981; the musical won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play. Frank Rich , the New York Times theater critic, noted "Mr. Lapine's wildly resourceful staging". In 1982, Lapine was introduced to Stephen Sondheim. The pair developed Sunday in
3870-539: The Park with George : Lapine wrote the book and directed; Sondheim created the music and lyrics. The play was first produced Off-Broadway in 1983, and moved to Broadway in 1984. Their next musical was Into the Woods , which premiered on Broadway in 1987, for which Lapine won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Book of a Musical. They next collaborated on the musical Passion , for which Lapine wrote
3960-480: The Roof has a composer ( Jerry Bock ), a lyricist ( Sheldon Harnick ) and the writer of the "book" ( Joseph Stein ). In rare cases, the composer writes everything except the dance arrangements – music, lyrics and libretto, as Lionel Bart did for Oliver! . Other matters in the process of developing a libretto parallel those of spoken dramas for stage or screen. There are the preliminary steps of selecting or suggesting
4050-474: The alleged charges of racism, first published in Thursday's New York Post. Carter is black. 'I, Nell Carter, never, ever, ever accused my producers or anyone in the show of racism,' she said. Producers have said it is too expensive to film a new commercial." Carter was later replaced by another white actress, Sally Struthers . The revival closed on October 19, 1997, after 14 previews and 239 performances. The show
4140-505: The assistant to the billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, comes to the orphanage, asking for an orphan to spend Christmas at his mansion. Seeing how poorly Miss Hannigan treats Annie, Grace insists on taking her. At Warbucks's mansion, Grace introduces Annie to the staff and explains that she will have every luxury available ("I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here"). Oliver Warbucks returns and isn't happy to have Annie in his mansion, having assumed all orphans were boys. Warbucks instructs Grace to take her to
4230-472: The basis of at least two operas, Richard Strauss 's Capriccio and Antonio Salieri 's Prima la musica e poi le parole . Libretti have been made available in several formats, some more nearly complete than others. The text – i.e., the spoken dialogue, song lyrics and stage directions, as applicable – is commonly published separately from the music (such a booklet is usually included with sound recordings of most operas). Sometimes (particularly for operas in
4320-432: The blankets, allowing Annie to escape in his truck. Miss Hannigan realizes she's gone and chases after the truck. The other orphans cheer her on, but await punishment, when Hannigan returns ("Hard Knock Life (Reprise)"). Annie escapes, running into a friendly stray dog. She tells him of better days to come (" Tomorrow "). She fools a police officer into believing he is her dog, named Sandy. Later, Annie and Sandy stumble upon
4410-502: The book and directed the Broadway musical Falsettos . Lapine wrote the book and Finn composed the music for A New Brain , which premiered Off-Broadway in 1998. They later worked together on Finn's musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee , which premiered Off-Broadway in 2005 and later moved to Broadway. The New York Times reviewer wrote of the Spelling Bee Broadway transfer that "Mr. Lapine has sharpened all
4500-675: The book and directed. The musical ran on Broadway in 1994 and in the West End in 1996, receiving a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical , among other awards and nominations. Their last collaboration was the revue Sondheim on Sondheim . Presented on Broadway in 2010, it won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Revue. In 1992, Lapine returned to working with William Finn, and wrote
4590-442: The brand-new song "Why Should I Change A Thing?" (sung by Warbucks). For the first two years of the tour, Conrad John Schuck played Warbucks, reprising the role he played in the original run of Annie on Broadway, as well as the 15th Anniversary National Tour and 1997 Broadway revival. Chicago actress, Alene Robertson was Miss Hannigan, Annie was played by Marissa O'Donnell, Scott Willis played Rooster Hannigan, Elizabeth Broadhurst
SECTION 50
#17328590905134680-531: The company's last Annie, closing the tour on September 6, 1981. The second national touring company (sometimes referred to as the West Coast or Los Angeles production) opened in San Francisco on June 22, 1978, with Patricia Ann Patts starring as Annie, Jennifer Cihi as Pepper and the then-unknown Molly Ringwald as one of the orphans. The show landed in Los Angeles on October 15, 1978, for an open-ended run at
4770-470: The composer (past or present) of the musical score to an opera or operetta is usually given top billing for the completed work, and the writer of the lyrics relegated to second place or a mere footnote, a notable exception being Gertrude Stein , who received top billing for Four Saints in Three Acts . Another exception was Alberto Franchetti 's 1906 opera La figlia di Iorio which was a close rendering of
4860-549: The composer. In some 17th-century operas still being performed, the name of the librettist was not even recorded. As the printing of libretti for sale at performances became more common, these records often survive better than music left in manuscript. But even in late 18th century London, reviews rarely mentioned the name of the librettist, as Lorenzo Da Ponte lamented in his memoirs. By the 20th century some librettists became recognised as part of famous collaborations, as with Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein . Today
4950-528: The country and often played in two cities a week. This company was still touring when the original Broadway production closed in January 1983, making Kathleen Sisk the final performer to play Annie from the original production team. This tour closed in late March 1983. The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre on May 3, 1978. Andrea McArdle, the original Broadway Annie, played
5040-511: The first national touring company) then played Annie, until this touring company closed in Hawaii on August 22, 1982. Alyssa Milano played orphan Kate in 1981. The third national touring company opened in Dallas on October 3, 1979, with Rosanne Sorrentino (who would later go on to portray Pepper in the 1982 film version) in the title role. This company toured to 23 cities playing mostly shorter runs of
5130-685: The formal adoption proceedings and tell of how her arrival has changed their lives ("Annie"). As Judge Louis Brandeis shows up to begin the adoption proceedings, Warbucks and Annie dance together ("I Don't Need Anything But You"). They are interrupted by Rooster and Lily in disguise. The two present forged documents, as well as the other half of Annie's locket, seemingly confirming their story. Warbucks requests that she be allowed to stay one more night, and they can take her away on Christmas morning. The next morning, Annie wonders if her life with her parents will really be as good as her life with Warbucks could have been ("Maybe (Second Reprise)"). Warbucks receives
5220-521: The later team of Rodgers and Hammerstein the lyrics were generally written first, which was Rodgers' preferred modus operandi). Some composers wrote their own libretti. Richard Wagner is perhaps most famous in this regard, with his transformations of Germanic legends and events into epic subjects for his operas and music dramas. Hector Berlioz , too, wrote the libretti for two of his best-known works, La damnation de Faust and Les Troyens . Alban Berg adapted Georg Büchner 's play Woyzeck for
5310-424: The libretto of Wozzeck . Sometimes the libretto is written in close collaboration with the composer; this can involve adaptation, as was the case with Rimsky-Korsakov and his librettist Vladimir Belsky , or an entirely original work. In the case of musicals, the music, the lyrics and the "book" (i.e., the spoken dialogue and the stage directions) may each have its own author. Thus, a musical such as Fiddler on
5400-529: The locket and attempts to take off the old one, Annie bursts into tears, as the locket was the only thing left to her by her parents, and she still holds out hope that they will return for her. Warbucks pledges to find her parents, no matter what it takes, calling J. Edgar Hoover to get the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the job ("You Won't Be An Orphan For Long"). Annie appears on Bert Healy's radio show ("Maybe (Reprise)"), where Warbucks announces that he
5490-402: The lyrics of the arias , duets , trios and choruses written in verse. The libretto of a musical, on the other hand, is almost always written in prose (except for the song lyrics). The libretto of a musical, if the musical is adapted from a play (or even a novel), may even borrow their source's original dialogue liberally – much as Oklahoma! used dialogue from Lynn Riggs 's Green Grow
SECTION 60
#17328590905135580-540: The money ("Easy Street (Reprise)"). Warbucks brings Annie to Washington, D.C. , where she meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt . Roosevelt and his Cabinet are inspired by her optimism and decide to make it a cornerstone of their administration ("Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)"). Once back home, Warbucks tells Annie how much he loves her ("Something Was Missing"). Because all the people claiming to be her parents were frauds, he offers, once again, to adopt her, and Annie gleefully accepts. The delighted staff get Annie dressed for
5670-581: The musical's elements without betraying its appealing modesty." The latest Finn-Lapine work is Little Miss Sunshine , which premiered in 2011 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California. Lapine has also directed dramas, including Dirty Blonde , which ran Off-Broadway and then on Broadway in 2000. Conceived by Claudia Shear and Lapine and written by Shear with direction by Lapine, Ben Brantley called Lapine's direction "stylish and compassionate". Lapine
5760-573: The new musical Oh Brother! On October 29, Annie moved to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre , and finally moved to its final home at the Uris (now the Gershwin ) on December 12 to make room for a revised Little Me . This move was made possible, partly because of the early closing of the revival of My Fair Lady , had originally been scheduled to run through the end of that year. The show closed on January 2, 1983, after
5850-442: The old Betty Grable – Don Ameche – Carmen Miranda vehicles, are largely unaffected, but this practice is especially misleading in translations of musicals like Show Boat , The Wizard of Oz , My Fair Lady or Carousel , in which the lyrics to the songs and the spoken text are often or always closely integrated, and the lyrics serve to further the plot. Availability of printed or projected translations today makes singing in
5940-471: The original language more practical, although one cannot discount the desire to hear a sung drama in one's own language. The Spanish words libretista (playwright, script writer or screenwriter) and libreto (script or screen play), which are used in the Hispanic TV and cinema industry, derived their meanings from the original operatic sense. Librettists have historically received less prominent credit than
6030-418: The orphanage, as a baby, she holds on to the hope that they will come back for her ("Maybe"). Annie decides to escape to find her parents, but she is caught by Miss Hannigan, the cruel keeper of the orphanage. To punish Annie's behavior, she forces all the girls to clean, and they lament the terrible conditions of the orphanage (" It's the Hard Knock Life "). Later on, Bundles, the laundry man, comes in to pick up
6120-629: The past (and even today), foreign musical stage works with spoken dialogue, especially comedies, were sometimes performed with the sung portions in the original language and the spoken dialogue in the vernacular. The effects of leaving lyrics untranslated depend on the piece. A man like Louis Durdilly would translate the whole libretto, dialogues and airs, into French: Così fan tutte became Ainsi font toutes, ou la Fidélité des femmes , and instead of Ferrando singing "Un' aura amorosa" French-speaking audiences were treated to Fernand singing "Ma belle est fidèle autant qu'elle est belle". Many musicals, such as
6210-457: The post Broadway national tour continued with Meredith Anne Bull as Annie. In the spring of 2000, Ashley Wieronski, who had been playing Duffy, moved up to play Annie. In July 2000, Dana Benedict took over as Annie. In 2000/2001, a tour was staged in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Anthony Warlow starred as Warbucks with Amanda Muggleton as Miss Hannigan. A new song, "Why Should I Change a Thing",
6300-559: The role of Miss Hannigan still being played by Pollard, David McAlister as Warbucks, Victoria Sian Lewis as Annie, and Simone Craddock as Grace Farrell. Opening in August 2005, a 30th anniversary traveling production of Annie by NETworks Tours embarked on a multi-city tour. This production was directed by Martin Charnin and choreographed by Liza Gennaro (daughter of the show's original choreographer, Peter Gennaro ). This all-new production with new set designs by Ming Cho Lee , also featured
6390-466: The role of Miss Hannigan. She also understudied Alice Ghostley and Dolores Wilson. Annie was evicted from the Alvin Theatre, in September 1981, to make way for Merrily We Roll Along , which began its months long journey to finding a new permanent home. On September 16, the show moved to ANTA (now the August Wilson ), knowing the production would need to move, again, due to contractual obligations to
6480-399: The role over the next year. Suzie Kemeys from South Wales also performed two shows in 1980/81. The first was as July and the second was Annie. ITV Wales commissioned two documentaries about this young Welsh girl and her rise from obscurity to a West End leading lady. Following this, Ann Marie Gwatkin and Jackie Ekers shared the title role, followed by many other casts of Annie. Miss Hannigan
6570-501: The role; in rehearsals, Loudon reportedly improvised numerous elements, including the lines "Do I hear happiness in here?" and "Why any kid would want to be an orphan, I'll never know." The original Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 21, 1977, and starred Andrea McArdle as Annie, Reid Shelton as Warbucks , Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan, and Sandy Faison as Grace Farrell, with Danielle Brisebois as Molly,
6660-451: The run of the show, there were replacements. The 2007-08 tour starred Amanda Balon as Annie, who took over as Molly during the second year. The 2008-09 cast for the tour featured Tianna Stevens as Annie. Early in 2009, Amanda Balon returned temporarily to play the role of Annie until Madison Kerth was rehearsed to play the title role. Also returning were Barton, Andrews and Meisner. Other cast members included Mackenzie Aladjem (Molly). In
6750-456: The screenplay for Disney's film version of Into the Woods (2014), directed by Rob Marshall. He wrote and directed the film Custody in 2016 with Viola Davis , Hayden Panettiere , and Catalina Sandino Moreno . Lapine received the 2015 Mr. Abbott Award at a special gala on October 19, 2015. The award is presented by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation "in recognition of
6840-513: The title role for 40 performances. British 12-year-old Ann Marie Gwatkin was also cast in the title role and appeared on the original London cast recording. The opening night cast and the original cast album recording of children were Claire Hood, Jane Collins, Dawn Napier, Annette Mason, Helen Stephenson, Jackie Ekers and Linda Brewis. Ann Marie Gwatkin alternated with Christine Hyland, and four other Annies were cast at this point: Anne O'Rourke, Jacinta Whyte, Helen Thorne, Tracy Taylor, who were to play
6930-482: The tour, and by the end of it, Gilgamesh Taggett was the only remaining original member. For most of the second year of the tour, Heidi Gray played Annie. For the third and final year of the tour, Tori Bates played Annie and became the first biracial Annie in a professional production. The 40th Anniversary performance was celebrated in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 21, 2017, with Angelina Carballo as Annie. The tour came to
7020-406: The words, and the piano-vocal score, with all the musical material, including some spoken cues), both are needed in order to make a thorough reading of an entire show. Annie (musical) Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse , lyrics by Martin Charnin , and a book by Thomas Meehan . It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray (which in turn
7110-407: The youngest actress to ever play Annie on Broadway. More controversy surrounding the show involved Nell Carter. Carter reportedly was very upset when commercials promoting the show used a different actress, Marcia Lewis, a white actress, as Miss Hannigan. The producers claimed that the commercials, which were made during an earlier production, were too costly to reshoot. Carter felt that racism played
7200-548: The youngest and smallest orphan. It was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won seven, including the Best Musical , Best Score , and Best Book at the 31st Tony Awards . Replacements in the title role on Broadway included Shelley Bruce, Sarah Jessica Parker , Allison Smith and Alyson Kirk. Replacements in the role of Miss Hannigan included Alice Ghostley , Dolores Wilson , Betty Hutton , Marcia Lewis , and June Havoc . Ann Ungar understudied and played for Dorothy Loudon in
7290-594: Was Grace Farrell and Mackenzie Phillips performed the role of Lily St. Regis. In December 2006, the tour briefly returned to New York City to play The Theater at Madison Square Garden for Christmas where it broke box office records during the five week stay. Kathie Lee Gifford played Miss Hannigan. This original Equity tour closed on March 25, 2007, at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland . The tour continued non-union for several more years and throughout
7380-410: Was inspired from the poem Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley ). The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre ). It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards , including for Best Musical . The musical's songs " Tomorrow " and " It's
7470-590: Was nominated for the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Direction of a Play. Lapine directed the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie . He wrote a stage adaption of the Moss Hart autobiography Act One , which premiered on Broadway at the Lincoln Center Vivian Beaumont Theater in April 2014. Lapine wrote the book for and directed the new musical Flying Over Sunset . A staged singing/reading
7560-536: Was one of the most prolific librettists of the 19th century, providing the words for works by Meyerbeer (with whom he had a lasting collaboration), Auber , Bellini , Donizetti , Rossini and Verdi . The French writers' duo Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote many opera and operetta libretti for the likes of Jacques Offenbach , Jules Massenet and Georges Bizet . Arrigo Boito , who wrote libretti for, among others, Giuseppe Verdi and Amilcare Ponchielli , also composed two operas of his own. The libretto
7650-550: Was originally played by Sheila Hancock , and later by Maria Charles and Stella Moray ; Warbucks was played by Stratford Johns and later by Charles West , with Deborah Clarke playing Pepper in the first year and Melanie Grant playing Molly. Annie closed on November 28, 1981, after 1,485 performances. The musical transferred to the Bristol Hippodrome for a special Christmas season before touring Britain . Because of strict British employment laws for juvenile actors,
7740-586: Was playing the Colonial Theatre , then moved on to the Oakdale in Connecticut. Public sentiment seemed to side with Pacitti as she was the winner of a highly publicized contest to find a new Annie, sponsored by the department store Macy's . This incident, coupled with the mixed reviews the new staging garnered, doomed it to a short run, although it was followed by a successful national tour. Kissinger, then 8, became
7830-658: Was presented at the Vineyard Arts Project (Martha's Vineyard) in August 2015. The composer is Tom Kitt and lyrics are by Michael Korie . The musical premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on November 11, 2021 in previews with the official opening scheduled for December 13. The production was originally scheduled to open on April 16, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In 1991, Lapine directed his first film, Impromptu , which has
7920-563: Was revived at the Victoria Palace Theatre, running from September 30, 1998, to February 28, 1999. It starred Lesley Joseph and then Lily Savage (the female alter ego of comedian Paul O'Grady ) as Miss Hannigan and Kevin Colson as Warbucks. The young girls who played Annie were Charlene Barton, Tasha Gold, Libby Gore and Sophie McShera . Orphans included Dominique Moore as documented on Paddington Green . Starting in August 1999,
8010-622: Was written for Warlow. Appearing as Annie in the Sydney production were Rachel Marley and Jodie McGaw. A publicist noted that "each time the show moves to a new city, two casts of seven orphans plus two Annies have to be found to join the adult cast." Further UK tours of the show were also staged, including a one-month run at The Theatre Royal in Lincoln in 2001. Members of the original cast included Kate Winney and Jemma Carlisle as Annie, Louise English (Grace), Vicki Michelle (Miss Hannigan) and Simon Masterton-Smith (Warbucks). The show proved to be
8100-489: Was written in verse, and this continued well into the 19th century, although genres of musical theatre with spoken dialogue have typically alternated verse in the musical numbers with spoken prose. Since the late 19th century some opera composers have written music to prose or free verse libretti. Much of the recitatives of George Gershwin 's opera Porgy and Bess , for instance, are merely DuBose and Dorothy Heyward 's play Porgy set to music as written – in prose – with
#512487