Jennifer Simard & Christopher Sieber to Lead Annie at the Muny

Leapin' lizards! Tony nominee Jennifer Simard has been cast as the evil Miss Hannigan in a new production of Annie at the Muny in St. Louis. The recent Hello, Dolly! star will be joined by two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber, who will reprise his turn as Daddy Warbucks from a recent Paper Mill Playhouse run of the Tony-winning musical. Avenue Q Tony nominee John Tartaglia will direct the production, with choreography by Jessica Hartman and music direction by Colin Welford. Annie will run at the Muny from July 18-25.

Simard recently concluded a celebrated yearlong run as Ernestina in the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! She is a Tony nominee for Disaster! who has also been seen on Broadway in Sister Act, Shrek The Musical and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Sieber earned Tony noms for Shrek The Musical and Spamalot. He has also been seen on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage aux Folles, Triumph of Love, Into the Woods, Matilda and Pippin. He is slated to return to Broadway this fall in The Prom.

Annie, which features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, follows the young orphan of the show's title, who is taken from her orphanage and the clutches of cruel Miss Hannigan (Simard) to stay in the mansion of billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Sieber) for the holidays. When Annie wins the hearts of Warbucks and his staff, they set out on an epic mission to find Annie’s parents. Annie includes such memorable songs as “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “A New Deal for Christmas,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

Additional casting and creative team members will be announced at a later date.