Book by Thomas Meehan
Music by Martin Charnin
Lyrics by Charles Strouse
Everyone’s favorite little orphan will sing and dance her way into your heart this holiday season! Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Join Annie as she sings and dances through Miss Hannigan’s evil schemes, finding a new home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and a befriending lovable pup named Sandy. Featuring the classic songs “Maybe,” “Tomorrow,” and “Hard Knock Life,” you’re sure to be singing all the way home!
Ages Recommended: Most enjoyed by children 6 and up
Approximate Run Time: 75 minutes + 15-minute intermission (90 minutes total)
Language:
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Use of words such as “shut up”, “dumbell”, “old geezer”, “crummy orphan”, and “brat”
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Use of threatening phrases such as “Do you wanna sleep with your teeth insida your mouth or out!”, “Give you the paddle”, “Gonna get your faces slapped”, “Gonna get our knuckles rapped”, “I’ll step on their freckles”
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Orphans say they will “yank the whiskers from her chin” and “jab her with a safety pin” when singing about Miss Hannigan in “The Hard Knock Life”
Themes and Situations:
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Hope and love
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Adoption
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Flaws in the foster care system
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Miss Hannigan severely mistreats the orphans; it is implied that the orphans are not well taken care of, like being hungry, only getting clean sheets once a month, having to clean and sew all day
Potential Scary Moments:
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Rooster holds out a switchblade knife when referencing what he is willing to kill Annie
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There is an attempted kidnapping of Annie
Other Cautions/Advisories:
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Miss Hannigan uses mild physical violence towards Annie (kicking, dragging by ear, throwing on the floor)
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Tessie insinuates that Miss Hannigan will give Annie the paddle
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The orphans mentions abuse and hunger in the song “The Hard-Knock Life”
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It is discovered that Annie’s parents are dead
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There is a mention that Santa Claus doesn’t come and visit the orphans