EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg stepped into the role of Miss Hannigan in the new tour of the Tony-winning musical Annie December 11 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the reviews are rolling in. The stage and screen star will remain with the production through the end of the New York City engagement January 5, 2025.
Jenn Thompson, who at the age of 10 stepped into the role of Pepper in the original Broadway production of Annie, directs the tour, having handled the same duties for the musical's 2022-2023 tour. The production also has choreography by Patricia Wilcox, orchestrations by Dan DeLange, music supervision by Matthew Smedal, music coordination by Talitha Fehr, music direction by Andrew David Sotomayor, scenic design by Wilson Chin, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design based on designs by Philip Rosenberg, sound design by Ken Travis, hair and wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan, and casting by Paul Hardt of Hardt Casting.
Carolyn Rossi Copeland Productions Inc. and Crossroads Live North America's tour of the family-friendly production launched in November at The Chicago Theatre. Hazel Vogel, a 12-year-old from Maryland most recently seen in the North American tour of Les Misérables, stars in the title role, joined by Christopher Swan as Oliver Warbucks, Julia Nicole Hunter as Grace, Mark Woodard as FDR, Rhett Guter as Rooster, and Isabella De Souza Moore as Lily St. Regis, plus Kevin, a seven-year-old labradoodle from Georgia, as Sandy.
Read the reviews below.
The New York Times (Laura Collins-Hughes)*
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
READ: Whoopi Goldberg Doesn't Consider Herself a Singer, But She's Happy to Do Annie
The orphans are played by Aria Valentina Aldea, Eva Lizette Carreon, Anna Dillon, Kylie Noelle Patterson, Olive Ross-Kline, and Nora West, while the ensemble includes Stephen Cerf, Anthony DaSilva, Savannah Fisher, Alloria Frayser, Brooke Olivia Gatto, Caroline Glazier, Ryan Mulvaney, Joel Newsome, Melinda Parrett, Lawrence E. Street, Drew Tanabe, and Stephanie Wahl. (Avril Kagan also joins the cast as a swing for the New York run.)
The 2024-2025 tour will continue on to visit more than 20 cities. For a full list of tour dates, visit AnnieTour.com.
The tour stage management team is led by production stage manager Nykol DeDreu, stage manager Brigham Johnson, and assistant stage manager Tara Tolar-Payne.
Annie, which premiered on Broadway in 1977, features a score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. Based on the Depression-era newspaper comic series, the musical centers on its plucky title character and her journey from orphanage to the opulent Warbucks mansion. Annie won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The family-friendly musical has been revived on Broadway twice, in 1997 and 2012.
“Annie is a celebration of family and what can happen when you hold on to hope above all else. We’re delighted to kick off our new 2024-2025 tour at the iconic Chicago Theatre—arriving with a little ray of sunshine when we all need it most,” said Tony-winning composer Strouse in an earlier statement. “It is also a dream come true to bring Annie back home to New York City for the first time in 10 years, just in time for the holidays. And having the iconic Whoopi Goldberg join the company and make her first appearance ever in a production of Annie is a gift to us all! I know Martin and Tom would be thrilled, too.”
“I love the theatre, and in my mind, there is no better way to spend the holidays than to get back on stage,” added Goldberg. “I can’t wait to step in to the delicious role of Miss Hannigan and perform for the greatest audiences in the world—in my hometown of New York City.”
Whoopi Goldberg in Annie
Whoopi Goldberg in Annie
Isabella De Souza Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rhett Guter in Annie
Company of Annie
Company of Annie
Whoopi Goldberg in Annie
Whoopi Goldberg and Hazel Vogel in Annie
Whoopi Goldberg, Rhett Guter, and Isabella De Souza Moore in Annie
Isabella De Souza Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rhett Guter in Annie
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