ANNIE National Tour to Play The Playhouse, 12/1-6

The Playhouse on Rodney Square will kick off its new Broadway in Wilmington series with the new U.S. National Tour of ANNIE December 1-6, 2015. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production is a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award-winning original. Tickets are $40-$90 and may be purchased by calling The Playhouse Box Office at 302.888.0200 or online at ThePlayhouseDE.org. Discounts are available to children ages 12 and under.

Based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip, ANNIE tells the story of a spunky orphan girl who finds a home with Depression-era billionaire Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, while dodging the clutches of her cruel orphanage mistress Miss Hannigan. The beloved 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."

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 and is the 25th longest running Broadway production in history. It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, has been performed in 28 languages, and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

ANNIE has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards for their work. Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro's 1977 Tony Award-winning choreography.

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designer's Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin' Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt "Sandy" is once again trained by Tony Award Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde), who also recently worked on Delaware Theatre Company's production of Because of Winn Dixie. Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by TROIKA Entertainment, LLC.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 10-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut. Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks. In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews. Sunny, a 5-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

"We are really eager to present the first season of Broadway shows at The Playhouse under The Grand's management," says Executive Director Mark Fields. "Musical theater, though new to us from a programming point of view, has proven to be a great complement to the other shows we have historically presented at The Grand."