NBC’s Annie Live! " The play is scheduled to be broadcast on December 2. This is the fourth time that the 1977 musical "Annie" has been adapted on the screen. The play is adapted from Harold Gray's long comic "Little Orphan Annie" . The musical is set during the Great Depression in New York City in the 1930s and tells the story of 11-year-old Annie who escapes from the orphanage where she lives and begins searching for her parents. After escaping from the crazy orphanage owner Miss Agatha Hannigan, Annie is adopted by the eccentric billionaire Oliver Warbucks, who wants to adopt her. She refuses at first, determined to escape her harsh life and find her biological family. But after a scammer couple pretended to be her parents and tried to adopt her, the Warbucks reunited with Annie permanently, reminding her that "the sun will come out tomorrow."
Annie was first adapted for the big screen in 1982, five years after its Broadway debut. Directed by John Huston (1956's Moby-Dick ), the film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score, and was a commercial success, grossing over $57 million at the box office on a budget of $35 million. Disney and Columbia Pictures subsequently produced a television movie version of the musical in 1999, which was viewed by more than 26 million people and was nominated for a Peabody Award and two Emmy Awards. Fifteen years later, the modern film version of Annie opened in theaters with a diverse cast and a score by Sia, and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. NBC's Annie Live! marks the first time the show has been brought to the screen and aired live on television! will bring another brand new interpretation of this iconic musical. Here's how the new live-action cast compares to the cast of the original 1982 film.
Selina Smith VS. Erin Quinn as Annie
Twelve-year-old Celina Smith plays the titular character on NBC, who was chosen after a nationwide open audition, similar to the lead role in the network's "The Wiz Live!" and Hairspray Live! She will make her first starring role in Annie Live! Previously, she played young Nora in the national tour of "The Lion King" and Rebecca Wilson in Tyler Perry's "Young Dylan ." In a recent interview with TODAY, Smith recalled the moment she found out she had been cast as Annie. "We were in my mom's room and my team called and they said, 'What are you going to do this October?'" she said. "I was like, 'I don't know.' And then they were like, 'You're going to do Annie Live in New York! This October. I screamed!"
After a small role in 1981's "Fathers ," Erin Quinn had her breakthrough role in 1982's "Annie ." She has appeared in several other projects since the film's release, most recently appearing in a 2020 episode of Will & Grace . According to her LinkedIn page, she spent two years as an art professor at Monmouth University, where scenes for "Annie" were filmed. She also has a band called Aileen Quinn and The Leapin' Lizards, which released its latest album, Lightning and Thunder , in 2019.
Harry Connick Jr. vs. Albert Finney as Oliver "Papa" Warbucks
Emmy and Grammy Award-winning versatile actor, singer, pianist and host Harry Connick Jr. will star as Oliver "Papa" Warbucks on NBC's Annie Live! Although he had not played the role before, he covered several songs from the musical on the 2001 Songs I Heard album, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In a recent interview with Channel Guide magazine, Connick discussed his relationship with the Annie soundtrack. "I've always loved the whole score. It's a very beautiful piece," Connick told the publication. “My favorite is probably this song called ‘Something Was Missing,’ which is one of the songs I recorded and I sang it in this production.”
Warbucks' dad was reportedly played by Albert Finney in the original 1982 film, beating out Sean Connery and Cary Grant for the role. The actor, also known for playing the eponymous character in 1963's "Tom Jones" and 1970's "Scrooge ," last appeared in "The Bourne Supremacy" and " Skyfall" in 2012 Died at the age of 82.
Taraji P. Henson VS. Carol Burnett as Miss Agatha Hannigan
Taraji P. Henson is the first actor to star in Annie Live! , playing the role of Miss Agatha Hannigan, the cruel orphanage owner. Although she's better known as a movie and TV star, the Oscar nominee recently told Yahoo! Sources say she feels most comfortable doing drama. "I always feel at home on stage. When I second-guess or question whether I still love this thing called 'TV and Movies,' I say, 'The most telling thing is how I feel when I get back on stage. ," Hansen said. "The stage is a spiritual place for me. It really is... I feel more at home in a theater on a stage than with a cold foreign camera watching me. "
Carol Burnett played Miss Hannigan in the 1982 film after Bette Midler was originally considered for the role. At the time, she was four years away from wrapping "The Carol Burnett Show," which had won 25 Emmys during its 11-year run. In a 2020 interview with Forbes , the legendary actor and comedian reflected on her time working on "Annie." "I think the film is well cast and directed, it's a wonderful and timeless story, and Erin Quinn is perfect as Annie," she told the magazine. "It's about love, it's exciting, it's a fairy tale and it's also a little scary, so it has it all. Plus, I think we all had a great time."
Tituss Burgess vs. Tim Curry as Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan
Known for Broadway's Jersey Boys and The Little Mermaid , Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt , the 2020 TikTok-created musical Ratatouille , and his role in Bachelor in Paradise Host Tituss Burgess will appear on Annie Live! Starring Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan, aka Agatha's con man brother. After recently starring in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect , he talks about his Annie Live! According to The Hollywood Reporter : "I've always wanted to be a villain."
In the original film, the character of "Cock" was played by Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tim Curry, best known for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in 1975's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." "Rust is a con man, and people love that kind of character," Curry, beloved for his many villainous roles, told Forbes in a 2020 interview . "He's funny. I'm very close to it in my own way, but [Burnett, Bernadette Peters and I] are very close. We're like the Three Musketeers. Of course, Carroll is a legend. , and probably the funniest woman in the world.”
Nicole Scherzinger vs. Ann Rein as Grace Farrell
Nicole Scherzinger is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and has performed in several musicals, including Neil Patrick Harris's 2010 production of Rent , the 2014 West End revival of Cats and Disney’s Moana . In Annie Live! " , she will play the role of Grace Farrell, Warbucks' personal secretary. In an interview with Tamsin Fidal on a recent episode of "The Broadway Show ," Scherzinger detailed her feelings about Ann Reinking, who played the character in the 1982 and 1999 film adaptations. and Audra McDonald's admiration. "I'm excited because I really admire those women," she said. "I was very inspired by their interpretation of the character, and I'm a very playful girl and I like a lot of spice, so I put a lot of my own flavor in it."
Reinking, a former Bob Fosse protégé and significant other, is known for her Tony Award-winning career on Broadway, which included roles in Goodtime Charley , A Chorus Line and Chicago main character. Anne is best known for her stage performances and is one of only four film roles for the actress, dancer, singer and choreographer. After a career that spanned more than 50 years, Reinking died in December 2020 while sleeping in a Seattle hotel during a family visit.
