Rosie O’Donnell on Her Nine Auditions for Annie, ‘Enthusiastic’ Off-Key Singing & Pippin Dream Role

Rosie O’Donnell and Broadway go together like peanut butter and jelly, whether she’s taking center stage or cheering from the audience. It’s been nearly a decade since she played Golde in the Great White Way revival of Fiddler on the Roof, so when Broadway.com spotted The View co-host on the red carpet on the opening night of The Real Thing, we couldn’t resist asking if she has any plans to return. Great news—she does!

“I was practically begging to be Miss Hannigan in Annie,” O’Donnell told us exclusively. “I auditioned like, nine times for [director] James Lapine. But they have this really weird thing, they want you to be able to sing on key. I think it’s an unrealistic request of leading actresses, but I’m an enthusiastic singer and a lover of Broadway, so I’d love to be back anytime.” O’Donnell, who appeared in Grease and Seussical on the Great White Way in addition to Fiddler on the Roof, also produced the short-lived cult musical Taboo. Although she initially tweeted she had auditioned but not gotten the role of Miss Hannigan in the 2012 production, we had no idea O'Donnell had auditioned so many times!

When asked if she has any dream roles she’d love to play, O’Donnell opted for a more realistic plan: “Usually whenever Andrea Martin leaves a role, in about three years they ask me to take over,” she joked, referring to her stint in Fiddler. “I’m hoping I’ll get a Pippin offer sometime in 2016.”

We’ve got our fingers crossed we’ll be seeing O’Donnell on the trapeze soon!