Four Miss Hannigans! [clockwise] Craig Revel Horwood, Paul O’Grady, Jodie Prenger and Elaine C Smith
Smith (Rab C Nesbitt, Calendar Girls, original UK tour/West End) and Prenger (Coronation Street, Oliver! Theatre Royal Drury Lane) will join the previously announced returning Miss Hannigans, Craig Revel Horwood and Paul O’Grady. Although best known as Strictly’s resident Mr Nasty, Revel Horwood (Crazy For You, Prince Edward Theatre) played Miss Hannigan to critical acclaim in the production in the West End and on tour. One of UK’s best-loved entertainers, O’Grady (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, London Palladium), meanwhile, first took on the role at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre in 1998.
Due to launch at Curve Leicester on 25 February, the production will also star Alex Bourne who will return to the role of Oliver Warbucks after playing the role in the West End, in Toronto and on tour, Paul French (The Wizard of Oz, Leicester Curve) will play Rooster with Amelia Adams (Friends! The Musical Parody, UK tour) as Grace Farrell, and Billie-Kay (Anything Goes, Barbican/UK and Ireland tour) as Lily St. Regis. The title role of Annie will be shared by Zoe Akinyosade, Harlie Barthram and Poppy Cunningham with three teams of young performers who will play the residents of Miss Hannigan’s orphanage.
The cast will be completed by Emily Barnett-Salter, Alistair Beattie, David Burrows, Sergi Ibanez, Rosalind James, Belle Kizzy Green, Ellie May-Wilson, Martin McCarthy, Phoebe Roberts, Lukin Simmonds, Matthew Sweet, Dawn Williams and Tommy Wade-Smith.
Directed by Nikolai Foster with set and costume design by Colin Richmond, choreography by Nick Winston, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Richard Brooker, the popular version of the Broadway smash previously toured the UK and Ireland in 2015/2016 and in 2019 has also played extended runs in the West End and in Toronto.
Following the Leicester run the production will visit Newcastle, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Oxford, Southampton, Dartford, Stoke-on-Trent, Llandudno, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Woking, Cardiff, Bradford, Southend, Bromley, Norwich, Dublin, Blackpool, Wolverhampton, Belfast, Wimbledon and Bristol.
With a book by Thomas Meehan and score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, and set in New York during the Great Depression, the story of brave young orphan Annie debuted on Broadway in 1977. The original Broadway production ran for a record-breaking six years and collected seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score.
Angela Thomas