Company News

DECEMBER 4, 2024 – JANUARY 5, 2025 AT THE THEATER AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Whoopi Goldberg To Join The Cast As ‘Miss Hannigan’ Beginning December 11

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 AT 10:00AM

NEW YORK (August 7, 2024) – Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) announced today that the iconic Tony Award-winning musical ANNIE will return to New York City this holiday season for the first time in a decade with a limited engagement at The Theater at Madison Square Garden from December 4, 2024 through January 5, 2025. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg will join the cast as ‘Miss Hannigan’ beginning Wednesday, December 11 through the end of the run. Tickets for ANNIE go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 9, 2024 at 10:00AM.

“I love the theatre, and in my mind, there is no better way to spend the holidays than to get back on stage,” said Whoopi Goldberg. “I can’t wait to step in to the delicious role of Miss Hannigan and perform for the greatest audiences in the world—in my hometown of New York City.”

ANNIE is a heartwarming musical that for generations has reminded audiences that “the sun will come out tomorrow.” And now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production that celebrates family, optimism and the American spirit as the ultimate cure for the hard knocks life throws your way. The original production of ANNIE opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977 and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical (Charles Strouse), Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Martin Charnin).

“At its heart, ANNIE is a story about hopes and dreams, and also a love letter to NYC,” said the Tony Award-winning composer of ANNIE, Charles Strouse. “So it is a dream come true to bring ANNIEback home for the first time in ten years, just in time for the holidays. And having the iconic Whoopi Goldberg join the company and make her first appearance ever in a production of ANNIE is a gift to us all! I know Martin and Tom would be thrilled, too.”

ANNIE is directed by Jenn Thompson, who at the age of ten stepped into the role of “Pepper” in the Original Broadway production. ANNIE is choreographed by Patricia Wilcox (Motown, A Night with Janis Joplin), with orchestrations by Dan DeLange. The tour music supervisor is Matthew Smedal and Talitha Fehr is the Music Coordinator. The design team includes scenic design by Wilson Chin (Pass Over), costume design by Alejo Vietti (Jersey Boys), based on lighting design by Philip Rosenberg, sound design by Ken Travis (Disney’s Aladdin), hair & wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan and casting by Paul Hardt of Hardt Casting, LLC. ANNIE was revived on Broadway in both 1997 and 2014, and has been made into a major motion picture three times – in 1982, 1999 and 2014. ANNIE has been staged at The Theater at MSG once before, in 2006.

Whoopi Goldberg is one of an elite group of artists who have won the Grammy, the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the Emmy and Daytime Emmy, and a Tony Award. She is equally well-known for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of children, the homeless, human rights, education, and many other causes and charities. Goldberg made her motion picture debut in Steven Spielberg’s film version of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. Since then, she has starred in such films as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Clara’s Heart, The Long Walk Home, Soapdish, Sister Act, Made in America, Boys on the Side, Ghosts of Mississippi, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Girl, Interrupted,and such animated classics as The Lion King and Toy Story 3. Goldberg has also produced numerous series, specials and movies for television, as well as theatrical productions on Broadway and around the world, including the Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie and the Tony-nominated Sister Act: The Musical. In addition to her own critically-acclaimed shows, Goldberg’s Broadway credits also include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Xanadu. She made her West End stage debut in 2011, in a special limited run as Mother Superior in Sister Act: The Musical. She currently moderates ABC’s Emmy Award-winning The View, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award.

Tickets for ANNIE at The Theater at Madison Square Garden start at $39 when purchased in person at the Ticketmaster Box Office at Madison Square Garden (4 Penn Plaza) and at $54.50 (including $15.50 in service charges) when purchased online at msg.com/ANNIE. For groups of nine or more, please contact the Group Sales Department at 212-465-6080 or [email protected]. Accessible and companion seats are available via the Accessibility Services Department at 888-609-7599 or [email protected].

This production of ANNIE was licensed by Music Theatre International and is produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland Productions Inc. and Crossroads Live North America. For additional information on this production of ANNIE, please visit AnnieTour.com.

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