Leapin' Lizards! Casting Complete for the National Tour of Annie

Full casting has been announced for the national tour of Annie, which will launch on September 26 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit before continuing to cities across the country. The title role of Annie will be played by Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut. Swickle's casting was announced exclusively in the inaugural episode of Broadway Balances America, airing during The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television.

In addition to Swickle, the cast of Annie features Gilgamesh Taggett as Oliver Warbucks, Lynn Andrews as Miss Hannigan, Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR. Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy. The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

The show's company includes Amy Burgmaier, Cameron Mitchell Bell, John Cormier, Brian Cowing, Todd Fenstermaker, Chloe Horner, Evan Mayer, Jake Mills, Meghan Seaman, Hannah Slabaugh, Lily Emilia Smith and Chloe Tiso.

Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 18th time, this production of Annie will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award-winning original. Annie features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards for their work. Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony Award-winning choreography.

Annie remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever. It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years. The show's beloved score includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”