Annie continues to spread joy across North America, but soon she'll look a little bit different: beginning October 7, a brand new orphan is taking up residence in the Warbucks mansion.
The new titular star is Rainier “Rainey” Treviño, an 11 year old from Chesapeake, Virginia. She joins returning cast members Stefanie Londino as Miss Hannigan, Christopher Swan as Oliver Warbucks, Julia Nicole Hunter as Grace, and Mark Woodard as FDR.
Jenn Thompson, who at the age of 10 stepped into the role of Pepper in the original Broadway production, directs the non-union tour that first launched in 2022.
Additional newcomers to the family friendly musical include Jeffrey T. Kelly as Rooster and Samantha Stevens as Lily. The dog Georgie, rescued by William Berloni, stars as Sandy.
The 2023-2024 orphan class are Savannah Austin, Arianna Guller, Avery Hope, Addie Jaymes, Kylie Noelle Patterson and Jade Smith. The ensemble includes Savannah Fisher, Jerquintez A. Gipson, Caroline Glazier, Chance K. Ingalls, Kaleb Jenkins, Jaelle Laguerre, Tony Mowatt, Nick Traficante, Kaylie Mae Wallace, Callie Alexa, Brooke Olivia Gatto, and Trent Tyson.
"This show, with its iconic title character, continues to delight generations of theatre lovers old and new by joyfully singing directly into the face of great adversity with perseverance, guts, and guile," said director Thompson in an earlier statement. “For decades, Annie has continued to shine brightly, not only as an appeal to our better angels, but also as an example of the thrill of hope, hard-won; promising a better ‘Tomorrow’ not only for Annie herself, but for all who need her message now more than ever.”
The tour features choreography by Patricia Wilcox (Motown, A Night with Janis Joplin), orchestrations by Dan DeLange, music supervision by Matthew Smedal, music coordination by Talitha Fehr, music direction by Jennifer Christina, scenic design by Wilson Chin (Pass Over), costume design by Alejo Vietti (Jersey Boys), lighting design by Philip Rosenberg, sound design by Ken Travis (Disney’s Aladdin), hair and wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan, and casting by Paul Hardt of Hardt Casting.
Annie, which premiered on Broadway in 1977, features a score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. Based on the Depression-era newspaper comic series, the musical centers on its plucky title character and her journey from orphanage to the opulent Warbucks mansion. Annie won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The family-friendly musical has been revived on Broadway twice, in 1997 and 2012.
For more information, visit AnnieTour.com.
