Alhambra's ANNIE to Star Local Girl in Lead Role

Queen's Harbour resident Carly Juliana Barnes is cast as the lead in the Alhambra Theatre & Dining's upcoming production of Annie, set to open June 28, 2017. Selected from an open casting call of more than 110 girls, Carly is one of two talented young leading ladies that perform as Annie. She is joined by Jena Simmons of Jupiter (FL). A much-celebrated Broadway musical, Annie continues the Alhambra's 50th Anniversary Season. For the fourth consecutive season the Alhambra's summer family show is sponsored by Snyder Heating & Air Conditioning of Jacksonville (FL).

The girls play an orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan and believes her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds - and a touching musical.

This is the Alhambra debut for both actors. Ms. Simmons credits include Les Misérables and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. She also appears on "Investigation Discovery" and various TV commercials for companies including hhgregg, Chrysler, and Universal Studios. Other than acting camp at Players by the Sea in Jacksonville Beach, Ms. Barnes is new to live theater. She does have two short film credits, including "Innocent Pact," playing both twins who lost their parents at a young age, and "Starling" in which she played Lucy, a sick child living in the wilderness with her brother and friends. Barnes attends the Discovery School in Jacksonville Beach, FL.

Annie is based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" are among its most popular musical numbers.

The original Broadway performances starred Andrea McArdle as Annie, Reid Shelton as Daddy Warbucks, Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan, and Sandy Faison as Grace Farrell, and Danielle Brisebois as one of the orphans. It was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won seven, including the Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Annie was also made into a motion picture in 1982, 1999 and 2014.

For every show, Alhambra Executive Chef DeJuan Roy creates a new menu borrowing from the show's themes. The menu for Annie includes: First course (choice of one) strawberry bisque with cilantro crème fraiche or a summer fruit salad with peaches, grapes, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, sunflower seeds, honey yogurt vinaigrette; second course (choice of one) rigatoni and house-made giant meatball with Romano cheese, or charred Romanesco chicken Veronique with?jasmine rice, broccolini, tear drop tomatoes, or pan-seared snapper with a pink grapefruit buerre blanc, risotto, sautéed spinach, or New York-style vegetable flatbread pizza with pasta salad; the dessert course includes a choice of Pink Lemonade Cake or Snickers Tart with caramel, chocolate, peanuts, whipped cream. The children's menu includes chicken fingers, French fries, sausage flatbread, and mixed vegetables.

Annie runs at the Alhambra Theatre & Dining from June 28 through August 13, 2107. Tickets start at just $35, and include dinner, show and parking. NOTE: to accommodate younger family members, evening shows for Annie begin at 7:30 PM, thirty minutes earlier than traditional Alhambra shows. Doors will open at 5:30. The Alhambra is located at 12000 Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, FL. For show times and details, please call the box office at 904.641.1212 or at www.alhambrajax.com.