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Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State

Broadway’s famous orphan ‘Annie’ gets reboot April 18 at Eisenhower

The national tour of “Annie,” now in its third year, will come to the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of “Annie” is a new incarnation of the iconic Tony Award-winning original.

Purchase tickets, which are $65 and $56 for an adult, $47 and $38 for a University Park student, and $48 and $39 for a person 18 and younger. A grant from the University Park Allocation Committee makes Penn State student prices possible.

“Annie” has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The three authors received 1977 Tonys. Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who has incorporated selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony-winning choreography.

The production features a 25-member company. Tori Bates, an 11-year-old actress from Sarasota, Fla., is making her tour debut in the title role. She recently starred as Young Josephine in the sold-out run of “Josephine” at Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre.

The original production of “Annie” opened April 21, 1977, at the Alvin Theatre. The production won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical; seven Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical; the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album; and seven Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Book (Meehan) and Best Score (Strouse and Charnin). The show remains one of Broadway’s biggest musical hits. It ran for 2,377 performances in New York City and has been performed in 28 languages.

The beloved “Annie” score includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything but You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

Watch a montage of the show.

Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring “Annie” cast members Mallory King (Lily St. Regis) and Jeffrey B. Duncan (FDR), is offered in Eisenhower one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity, so seating is available on a first-arrival basis.

Kish Bank and an anonymous donor sponsor the presentation. WATM-ABC 23, WWCP-FOX 8, THIS TV, Antenna TV and 95.3/3WZ are media sponsors.