Two-time Tony winner Katie Finneran will return to Broadway as tyrannical orphanage head Miss Hannigan in the upcoming revival of Annie. Directed by James Lapine, the musical begins previews at the Palace Theatre on October 3, with opening night set for November 8.
“Miss Hannigan is one of the great musical comedy roles and I cannot wait to play her, in all of her deliciously evil glory,” Finneran said in a statement. “I played Hannigan in my parents’ living room when I was eight years old and the chance to play her in this new Broadway production is a dream come true.”
Finneran received Tony Awards for Promises, Promises and Noises Off. Her other Broadway credits include Mauritius, Cabaret, The Iceman Cometh, Proposals, The Heiress, My Favorite Year, In the Summer House and Two Shakesperean Actors. She recently starred on the FOX series I Hate My Teenage Daughter. Her other TV credits include Wonderfalls, Damages and Bram and Alice.
Inspired by the famous comic strip Little Orphan Annie, Annie first opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977. The musical played 2,377 performances before closing on January 2, 1983. The show, which follows a young Depression era orphan who goes to temporarily live with the rich and famous Daddy Warbucks, won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Dorothy Loudon also earned a Tony for her performance as Miss Hannigan. The show features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan.
In addition to Finneran, the cast will feature Lilla Crawford as Annie, Emily Rosenfeld as Molly, Tyrah Skye Odoms as Kate, Junah Jang as Tessie, Georgi James as Pepper, Madi Rae DiPietro as July and Taylor Richardson as Duffy. Jaidyn Young will serve as the standby for Annie, Pepper, Duffy and July.