admin
In the New York City run of the popular musical’s nationwide tour, the TV star will portray Miss Hannigan. Whoopi Goldberg is eager to perform once again!
The 69-year-old actress and TV personality is making her much awaited stage comeback as the notorious Miss Hannigan during the Annie national tour’s run in New York City.
December 11 marks the start of Goldberg’s role in the show. The limited engagement will begin at The Theater at Madison Square.
Garden on December 4 and run through January 5, 2024, before making visits in Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and other cities.
Despite having made her Broadway debut in her eponymous one-woman show more than 40 years ago, Goldberg says she is out of practice in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the play’s Big Apple launch.
Her words, “I’m rusty, trust me,” “I won’t be as rusty when you see me, but the old bones are creaking as I move.” One of the most adored musicals ever is Annie.
The plot, which is based on Harold Gray’s 1924 comic Little Orphan Annie, follows a young orphan as she encounters wealthy Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks and sets out to discover her parents.
Thomas Meehan, the author of the novel, adapted it for the stage, while Martin Charnin wrote the lyrics and Charles Strouse composed the music.
The Broadway version of Annie debuted in 1977 and continued for six years. It has been brought back to the boards twice, most recently in 2012,
When Jane Lynch and Katie Finneran played Miss Hannigan. A number of film adaptations of the musical have also been made, starting with the 1982 version.
That starred Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan and included Tim Curry, Ann Reinking, Albert Finney, and Bernadette Peters. Also, an all-star ensemble,
Including Kathy Bates’s Miss Hannigan, starred in a 1999 television film. Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Audra McDonald, and Victor Garber also appeared in the film.
For the first time, a Black actress portrayed Annie on cinema when she made a comeback in 2014 with Quvenzhané Wallis in the major role.
This time, Cameron Diaz costarred with Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Jamie Foxx as Miss Hannigan.
See also: Whoopi Goldberg Hosts a ‘Joyful Joyful’ Sister Act 2 Reunion on The View to Celebrate the Film’s 30th Anniversary (Exclusive)
Jenn Thompson, a former cast member of Broadway, is the director of this production. Goldberg has played a number of well-known theatrical parts during her career, including Prologus and Pseudolus.
In the 1996 Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the lead role in the 2003 Broadway revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
However, she has never portrayed a villain. “I keep trying to get people to make me monsters [and] villains, and people are like ‘no,'”
Goldberg told PEOPLE. “So these folks said, ‘Well, we’re not gonna listen to anybody else and we’re gonna offer you this part.'”
She is now having “lots of fun” portraying Miss Hannigan and connecting with the “fantastic” young girls who comprise the orphanage, according to Goldberg.
“They’re all wonderful actors,” she adds of her youthful co-stars. “They have been so open and so wonderful to me, and it makes it a pleasure to go to the rehearsals.”
In addition, the EGOT winner, who was a producer on Thoroughly Modern Millie and received a Tony Award in 2002, says she finds inspiration in her enormous ensemble.
“The thing that I can say about this, which I love more than anything, is the group feel,” Goldberg says.
“The groove of all of us working together is something I missed, where you’re all working to get it together and actors are helping other actors.”
For The View co-host, who has happy memories of spending her holidays in Manhattan as a child, bringing the program to New York City for the holidays is a unique experience.
Goldberg remembers, “We had all of New York to go and walk around,” “It was Macy’s and Gimbels [department store], the Santas and the displays.
And Annie is just that. In fact, it is a whole homage to New York. I grew up in New York, and that’s what it is.”
“Many of the locations are largely disappeared. Gimbels is no longer there, but Macy’s is. Thus, it’s the atmosphere of New York during my childhood vacations,”
Goldberg continues. “And I thought, ‘Well, okay,’ when they said, ‘We’re going to do this’ during the holidays.
I don’t have any plans. Come on, let’s do that! That’s wonderful! ” Related: All the Stars Going to Broadway: George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr.
To keep informed about the best that PEOPLE has to offer, from captivating human interest stories to celebrity news, subscribe to their free daily email.
Hazel Vogel plays the titular character in Annie, Christopher Swan plays Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, Julia Nicole Hunter plays Grace, and Mark Woodard plays Franklin D. Roosevelt. Goldberg also acts in the film.
Rhett Guter, Anna Dillon, Kylie Noelle Patterson, Olive Ross-Kline, Nora West, 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 are also on the tour.
Labradoodle Avril Kagan is a swing for performances in New York City only, Stefanie Londino will portray Miss Hannigan throughout tour sites outside of New York City, and Kevin will play Annie’s dog Sandy.