Media Theatre Presents ANNIE, 11/23-1/16

America's iconic musical "Annie" comes to The Media Theatre November 23, 2010-January 16, 2011. The Broadway hit is 'one of those rare, sacred properties in the musical theater' according to The Chicago Tribune. With seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score (Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin), and Best Book of a Musical (Thomas Meehan), "Annie" ran for six years and set box office records. It's most popular songs, "Tomorrow" and "Hard Knock Life", became cultural milestones and are still popular 30 years later.

At The Media Theatre, 10 year old Broadway actress Tori Heinlein will portray Annie, the little red-haired orphan who wins Daddy Warbucks' heart after spending a week with him in his mansion. The young actress was seen on The Great White Way in "White Christmas" in 2009. She has also been seen in regional productions of "Gypsy", "Beauty and the Beast", and "A Christmas Carol". Her first time on stage was in another production of "Annie" when she played the role of Molly. She is from Boston but is familiar with the Philadelphia/ Wilmington region as she has relatives in Delaware.

She will be joined in "Annie" by another Broadway veteran, Paul Jackel ("The Secret Garden",  "A Christmas Carol"), who portrays Daddy Warbucks. Emmy award winning actress Wanda Sykes will make her music theatre debut as Miss Hannigan for a portion of the show's run (November 23-December 12 and again January 12-16). When Sykes takes a holiday hiatus from "Annie", Philadelphia's popular actress Mary Martello will portray the orphan's humorously devious caretaker.
"Annie" is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip which recently placed its final new panel in newspapers across the country. Taking place in the Depression Era '30's, "Annie" focuses on looking toward a bright "Tomorrow" and getting out of oppressive situations. The musical, which was created in the mid-1970's, represented the social issues going on during this time period and was a reflection of the parallels of the Depression Era and an ongoing recession. The song "Tomorrow"showcases the hope all Americans were feeling that things would, eventually, get better and that there is always hope for the future.

Tickets for "Annie" at The Media Theatre are available by calling 610-891-0100 or visiting www.mediatheatre.org

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