Broadway Across America – Columbus presents Annie April 17-19 at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., as a 20th anniversary season special.

The timeless story about little orphan Annie and her dog Sandy made its Broadway premiere on April 21, 1977. When the two are placed in the lap of luxury for a week, as part of a publicity campaign for Oliver Warbucks, things don’t quite turn out the way anyone anticipated. Annie works her way into everyone’s hearts and learns a few things for herself along the way.

The story is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strips. In 1971, Martin Charnin, lyricist and director, bought a collection of the strips and immediately imagined a musical comedy based on the main character.

After collaborating with composer Charles Strouse and librettist Thomas Meehan, the musical Annie was born. However, it took more than four years to make its way onto Broadway, as no producer thought it had a chance.

But, after premiering in 1977, Annie garnered seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. The production was so popular, there were four road companies presenting Annie for more than three years. In 1982, a movie was made based on the play.

The sequel, Annie Warbucks, opened at the Variety Arts Theatre in New York City in 1993.

Further proving its popularity and timelessness, the original Annie was revived on Broadway in 1997, and the movie was remade by Disney in 1999. A new national tour, the third since ’97, made its debut in 2005, proving Annie’s story is relevant for all audiences.

“Annie has toured to Columbus a few times and each time it introduces a new generation to the show,” says Allison Thomas, director of public relations for Broadway Across America – Columbus. “It is a classic story that turned into a classic movie and has classic songs. It’s a lot of fun because everyone is familiar with it.”

For more information about Annie or for tickets, visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com, call 1-800-294-1892, or stop by the Broadway Across America – Columbus box office at 10 W. Broad St., Ste. 270 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday.