You don’t have to wait for the sun to come out TOMORROW, as it’s out TODAY with “ANNIE” playing at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. This show plays through Sunday, October 22, and tickets are available at Browardcenter.org.
The original production of “Annie” opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977, at the Alvin Theatre (Neil Simon theatre). It went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin). It closed on Broadway after playing 2,377 performances. “Annie” was revived on Broadway in 1997 and again in 2014. It has been made into a film three times (1982, 1999, 2014) and was most recently featured as a live television production on NBC. The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever; it has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 45 years.
Annie features some of Broadways most iconic numbers including “Tomorrow,” “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” and many more, and it continues to be one of the most reliable family-friendly offerings with its cute child actors, catchy tunes, and an adorable dog.
The standouts in this show are:
Rainier “Rainey” Trevino, who plays Annie with tremendous optimism, leads the show from the first scene until the last. She truly embodies Annie’s spirit, and Rainey lights up the stage!
Christopher Swan as Billionaire (with a “B”) Oliver Warbucks commands the stage with his authority when we first meet him and then he shows us the vulnerable side of Daddy Warbucks who opens-up to a little girl and gives her his heart.
Julia Nicole Hunter as Grace Farrell (Oliver Warbucks assistant) lights up the stage with her poise and beautiful voice.
The Orphans shine every time they are on stage, but especially when they are performing “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” A special shout out to Jade Smith who plays the spunky Molly.
The lovable mutt “Sandy” (played by Georgie) is trained by Tony Award Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde), and steals every scene he is in.
For more information on Annie, visit AnnieTour.com
Tickets starting at $40 are available at BrowardCenter.org and Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 954.468.0222 or at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office located at 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33312.
