Classic Broadway Family Musical Annie Comes to Penn State Dec. 4
November 14, 2007
The 30th-anniversary tour of Annie, the classic Broadway musical about an orphan who never gives up hope, comes to Penn State for one performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Annie, which won seven Tony Awards for its original Broadway production in 1977, boasts one of musical theater's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C." and the ever-optimistic "Tomorrow."
Section one and two tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $44 and $38 for an adult, $32 and $26 for a University Park student and $36 and $30 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at 814-863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), Penn State Tickets Downtown (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday), HUB-Robeson Center (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays when Penn State classes are in session) and Bryce Jordan Center (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays). All ticket locations will be closed Nov. 22. A grant from the Penn State Student Activities Fee Funds makes University Park student prices possible.
Annie stars 10-year-old Amanda Balon, a veteran of stage, screen and TV, in the title role. "Balon is more or less a force of nature: She has good timing, a trumpet of a voice and a grin that goes on forever," writes an Orlando Sentinel critic.
"The play belongs to Miss Hannigan, the nasty warden of the orphanage where Annie spends her first 11 years of life. She's the one character in the comic strip-based musical that has emotional depth," writes a reviewer for the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel. "And as played by the riotous Lynn Andrews, the character has even more facets than appear in the script."
Martin Charnin, Annie's lyricist and the man who directed the original show on Broadway, directs this anniversary production. Charles Strouse wrote the show's music, while Thomas Meehan provided the book. Tony Award-winning set designer Ming Cho Lee has created a fresh look for this production.
The original Broadway production of Annie won Tonys for best musical, best score and five other trophies. The musical ran for 2,377 performances, which makes it one of the 20 longest-running shows in Broadway history.
This new staging of Annie is produced by Networks Presentations.
Jersey Shore State Bank sponsors the presentation. FOX 8, ABC 23 and 95.3 3WZ are the media sponsors. Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal discussion featuring a visiting artist or local expert, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379