Annie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Annie
Photo from the 1977 Broadway production
Music	Charles Strouse
Lyrics	Martin Charnin
Book	Thomas Meehan
Basis	Little Orphan Annie (1924-2010) by Harold Gray
Productions	Godspeed Opera House (1976) Broadway (1977 and 2012) West End (1978, 1983 and 1998) Movies (1982, 1999 and 2014)
Awards	Tony Award for Best Musical

Annie is a popular musical that first opened in 1976. It tells the story of a brave young orphan girl. The musical's story was written by Thomas Meehan, with songs by Martin Charnin (lyrics) and Charles Strouse (music). Annie is based on characters from the famous comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray.

The musical first came to Broadway in New York City in 1977. It was a huge hit and played for about six years! A production also opened in London's West End in 1978. Annie won several important awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, which is a big honor in theater.

Main Characters in Annie

• Annie, an 11-year-old orphan who dreams of finding her parents.
• Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, a very rich billionaire who takes Annie in.
• Grace, his kind and helpful assistant.
• Miss Hannigan, the mean lady who runs the orphanage.
• Rooster, Miss Hannigan's tricky brother.
• Lily St. Regis, Rooster's girlfriend, who is also part of their schemes.

The Story of Annie

Act 1: Annie's Adventures Begin

The story starts in 1933 in New York City. Eleven-year-old Annie lives in a crowded orphanage with many other girls. One night, a younger girl named Molly wakes up from a bad dream. Annie comforts her by singing about her own parents. Even though they left her at the orphanage as a baby, Annie still hopes they will come back for her ("Maybe").

Annie decides to try and escape to find her parents. But Miss Hannigan, the cruel orphanage keeper, catches her. As punishment, she makes all the girls clean. They sing about how tough life is at the orphanage ("It's the Hard Knock Life"). Later, the laundry man, Bundles, comes. Annie cleverly hides in his truck and escapes! Miss Hannigan realizes she's gone and chases the truck. The other orphans cheer for Annie, but they know they'll be punished when Hannigan returns.

Annie escapes and meets a friendly stray dog. She tells him that better days are coming ("Tomorrow"). She tricks a police officer into believing the dog is hers, naming him Sandy. Annie and Sandy then find a "Hooverville". This was a shanty town, a place where people who lost their homes during the Great Depression lived. They jokingly "thank" the former president, Herbert Hoover, for their troubles ("We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"). Police break up the shanty town and take Annie back to the orphanage. Miss Hannigan gives her extra chores.

At the orphanage, Miss Hannigan complains about being stuck with children ("Little Girls"). Suddenly, Grace Farrell arrives. She is the assistant to a very rich man, Oliver Warbucks. Grace is looking for an orphan to spend Christmas at his fancy mansion. Seeing how badly Miss Hannigan treats Annie, Grace insists on taking Annie.

At Warbucks's mansion, Grace introduces Annie to the staff. She explains that Annie will have everything she could ever want ("I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here"). Oliver Warbucks comes home. He's not happy at first because he thought he was getting a boy orphan. Warbucks tells Grace to take Annie to a movie. But then he realizes Annie has never seen New York City. So, he decides to take her himself, walking all the way to the Roxy theater and showing her the amazing city ("N.Y.C.").

Grace visits Miss Hannigan to tell her that Warbucks wants to adopt Annie officially. Hannigan becomes very jealous that Annie, whom she disliked so much, will suddenly have everything. Her lazy brother, Rooster, and his girlfriend, Lily, visit, hoping for money. When Miss Hannigan mentions Annie's adoption, Rooster realizes they can use this to get money. They plan to pretend to be Annie's parents ("Easy Street").

Warbucks notices a broken locket around Annie's neck. He buys her a new, expensive one from Tiffany's. He wonders if he's ready for such a big change in his life ("Why Should I Change A Thing?"). When he tries to take off her old locket, Annie cries. The locket was the only thing her real parents left her, and she still hopes they will return. Warbucks promises to find her parents, no matter what. He even calls J. Edgar Hoover to get the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help ("You Won't Be An Orphan For Long").

Act 2: The Search for Annie's Parents

Annie appears on a radio show with Bert Healy ("Maybe (Reprise)"). Warbucks announces that he will give $50,000 to anyone who can prove they are Annie's parents. Healy then sings a song with the Boylan Sisters ("You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"). At the orphanage, the girls listen and happily 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. But they are actually Rooster and Lily in disguise! They believe they can fool everyone with Miss Hannigan's help. Miss Hannigan demands half of the reward money ("Easy Street (Reprise)").

Warbucks takes Annie to Washington, D.C., where she meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt and his team are inspired by Annie's hopeful attitude. They decide to make her optimism a key part of their plans for the country ("Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)").

Back home, Warbucks tells Annie how much he cares for her ("Something Was Missing"). Since all the people claiming to be her parents were fakes, he offers to adopt her again. Annie happily accepts! The excited staff help Annie get ready for the official adoption. They talk about how her arrival has changed their lives ("Annie"). As Judge Louis Brandeis arrives for the adoption, Warbucks and Annie dance together ("I Don't Need Anything But You").

They are interrupted by Rooster and Lily, still in disguise. They show fake papers and the other half of Annie's locket, making their story seem real. Warbucks asks if Annie can stay one more night, and they can take her on Christmas morning. The next morning, Annie wonders if life with her "parents" will be as good as life with Warbucks ("Maybe (Second Reprise)").

Warbucks gets a surprise visit from President Roosevelt and his Secret Service. The FBI has found out that Annie's real parents were David and Margaret Bennett. They died long ago in a fire when Annie was a baby. Mr. and Mrs. "Mudge" show up to take Annie and the money. But they are quickly revealed to be Rooster and Lily! The Secret Service arrests them and Miss Hannigan for their crimes. All three are sent away. Annie is officially adopted by Warbucks. He notes that this Christmas is a new beginning for them, for the orphans (who are all adopted by Warbucks's rich friends), and for the country, thanks to Roosevelt's New Deal ("A New Deal for Christmas"/"Tomorrow (Second Reprise)").

Musical Numbers

† This song was added for the actress Nell Carter in a 1997 Broadway show. It hasn't been in other shows since.

‡ This song was added for the actor Anthony Warlow in a 2000 Australian show. It's now an optional part of the musical, meaning it's not always included, like in the 2012 Broadway show.

Movie Adaptations

Annie has been made into a movie several times. A well-known movie version came out in 1982. It starred Albert Finney, Aileen Quinn, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Burnett.

See also

In Spanish: Annie para niños