VIDEO: Preview ANNIE At Danbury's Musicals At Richter Through August 11

Musicals at Richter (MAR), continues its 34th season as the longest-running outdoor theater in Connecticut, with Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse's ebullient musical "Annie," playing July 27 through August 11. Staged on the grounds of the Richter Arts Center in Danbury, performances take place outdoors under the stars Friday through Sunday evenings at 8:00 p.m., with additional specially discounted performances on Thursday, August 2 and 9.

Check out the cast in rehearsals below!

A perennial audience and family favorite, this 1977 Broadway hit based on the popular comic strip heroine originally garnered seven Tony Awards, along with a Theatre World Award for Andrea McArdle in the title role. Set in 1933 Depression-era America, "Annie" follows a spunky young orphan as she searches for her parents, a journey which takes her from a dreary New York City orphanage to an opulent, loving new home with billionaire Oliver Warbucks and his staff. Along the way, she foils an evil plot hatched by embattled orphanage director Miss Hannigan, helps President Franklin Roosevelt put the finishing touches on the New Deal, and leaves everyone she meets "fully dressed" with a smile and an optimistic outlook.

Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse's tuneful score includes "Tomorrow," "It's the Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," "NYC," "Easy Street," "I Don't Need Anything But You," "Little Girls," and "Something Was Missing."

Directed and choreographed by founding MAR Artistic Director Bradford Blake (Danbury), the show features a cast of talented local performers, including many newcomers and MAR veterans. Samantha Noel Treppeda (Poughquag, NY) takes on the title role. Walter Cramer (Danbury) portrays wealthy industrialist Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks and Claire Simard (Ridgefield) plays his efficient and kind-hearted secretary Grace Farrell.

Heading up the creative team, multitalented director and choreographer Bradford Blake has worked in regional theater for over 30 years as a director, musical director, choreographer, composer, arranger and designer. Most recently, he wrote and directed the popular holiday revue "Wreck the Halls" which played a second smash run at Ridgefield Theater Barn last December. He also directed MAR's critically acclaimed 2017 season opener, "Into The Woods."

Blake, who also designed the set, is joined by prolific musical director and composer Dan Koch (Millbrook, NY). Tina Morrissette (Brookfield) serves as assistant choreographer and assistant to the director for the production. Costume design is by MAR Artistic Director Lauren Nicole Sherwood (Stamford). Will Armstrong (Old Greenwich) serves as stage manager and Joyce Northrop (Danbury) is producer.

Main stage musical performances are Friday through Sunday evenings at the Richter Arts Center (next to the Richter Park Golf Course, I-84, Exit 2), 100 Aunt Hack Road, in Danbury. Tickets for "Annie" are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students (with ID), and $15 for children 10 and under. For the additional Thursday performances on August 2 and 9, tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $10 for children 10 and under. Tickets may be purchased through the Musicals at Richter website (www.musicalsatrichter.org) or at the door.

Grounds open at 7:00 p.m. for picnicking, with curtain at 8:00 p.m. (please note earlier curtain time). Guests are invited to bring chairs and blankets for lawn seating; a limited number of chairs are available free of charge by the concessions at the park. Group rates are available with advance reservation; a soft drink/snack concession is also on-site.

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