Twitter Watch: No ANNIE for Rosie O'Donnell

Comedian, talk show host, producer and star Rosie O'Donnell made no secret of her desire to play 'Miss Hannigan' in the upcoming Broadway revival of ANNIE. After the news of THE Rosie Show's cancellation on OWN multiple reports had the star potentially bound for ANNIE, and Rosie herself confirmed that she'd taken meetings in NY. 

Today on Twitter, in response to a fan asking "@Rosie R U doing Annie or is that a rumor?", O'Donnell responded "rumor - I auditioned but didn't get it".

Back in a 2010 exclusive interview with BroadwayWorld.com, O'Donnell commented about her future plans noting that:

PC: What's next on Broadway for you?

RO: Listen, I've been begging: I want to play Miss Hannigan in ANNIE.

PC: You really do?

RO: Yes. In 2012. I don't know if I have the talent, I don't know if I've got the time, and I don't know if they have the desire, but - I am telling you right now - I want to do it.

 

ANNIE, directed by Tony Award-winner James Lapine, will open in fall 2012 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. ANNIE features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan, based on the newspaper character “Little Orphan Annie” by Harold Gray.

ANNIE will be produced on Broadway by Arielle Tepper Madover, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow, Jane Bergère, Roger Berlind, Debbie Bisno, Roy Furman, Stacey Mindich, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Daryl Roth in association with Christina Papagjika/Eva Price.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win 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 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin). The show was one of the biggest Broadway musical hits of the 1970s, running for almost six years and playing 2,377 performances.

The score for ANNIE 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”.

O'Donnell, who produced the 2003 Broadway show Taboo, has starred on Broadway in Grease (Rizzo), Seussical (Cat in the Hat) and Fiddler on the Roof (Golde), and off-Broadway in Love, Loss and What I Wore, as well as regionally in Find Me.