There are few Americans that have not, at some point in their lives experienced the musical Annie, one of the most loveable stories ever to appear on stage. Few little girls have not, at some point in their lives, sung along with Annie as she raised her voice in song, singing the lyrics:



“It's the hard-knock life for us

It's the hard-knock life for us

No one cares for you asmidge

When you're in an orphanage

It's the hard-knock life...”

And for many singing along with Annie to the much more hopeful tune of “Tomorrow” is another rite of passage into the ranks of the American youth. The chorus is an especial favorite, when Annie sings:

“The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on

‘Til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I love ya Tomorrow!

You're always a day a way!”

The songs and music of this hit musical have been with us for over thirty years, and they do not seem to ever go fully out of style. The musical had its roots in the Union-Tribune Comic strip Little Orphan Annie that appeared in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In 1971 a collection of the comics was bought by lyricist and director Martin Charnin, who started to conceive of a musical comedy based on that very strip. Eventually he was able to convince librettist Thomas Meehan and the composer Charles Strouse to join him in his project, and Annie the musical was born.

These men were hard-pressed to get their musical onto a stage, as no producer believed that their project stood a chance of succeeding. But finally, they found a venue for the show at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, where Andrea McArdle was the first little girl to play the part of Annie. There it won the attention of Mike Nichols who decided to produce it on Broadway. It opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977 and that year won seven Tonys including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. Annie was a big hit with theatre goers and has continued to be a theatre favorite today.

A sequel to Annie titled Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge when it opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. but was later renamed simply Annie 2 when it moved on to the Goodspeed Opera House and while it was on national tour. When it moved to Broadway, it was again re-titled Annie Warbucks and won excellent reviews on Broadway.

Annie was first made into a movie in 1982, when it starred Aileen Quinn as Annie. The movie version was nominated for two Oscar Awards and three Golden Globes, Aileen won the Best Young Motion Picture Actress Award at the Young Artist Awards that year. A TV version was made in 1999, starring Alicia Morton as Annie.

Annie is currently on tour around the US, and can be seen in many cities throughout the mid-west and the east this winter and spring. Annie other cities tickets are now available at http://www.stubhub.com/annie-other-cities-tickets and are a great way to enjoy some wonderful entertainment with the whole family.