Beth Leavel & Christopher Sieber to Lead Annie at Paper Mill Playhouse
(Photo: Emilio Madrid-Kuser)
Beloved Tony winner Beth Leavel will play the irascible Miss Hannigan in Paper Mill Playhouse's holiday-season production of Annie! Tony nominee Christopher Sieber will play Oliver Warbucks, with Peyton Ella and Cassidy Pry rotating in the title role. Directed by Paper Mill’s Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee and featuring choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, the mounting will run at the Millburn, NJ venue from November 22 through December 31.
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 (Ella and Pry), who is taken from her orphanage and the clutches of cruel Miss Hannigan (Leavel) 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 unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “A New Deal for Christmas,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”
The cast will also feature Broadway alum Erin Mackey as Grace Farrell, with Cooper Grodin as Rooster Hannigan, Kim Sava as Lily St. Regis and Kevin Pariseau as Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Annie orphans will include Gabby Beredo as Pepper, Tessa Noelle Frascogna as Molly, Michelle Henderson as Duffy, Eve Johnson as Tessie, Lauren Sun as July and Sloane Wolfe as Kate. Rounding out the cast are Damien Brett, Shavey Brown, AnnEliza Canning-Skinner, Lynn Masako Cheng, Stacia Fernandez, Michael Coale Grey, Ruby Griffin, David Hess, Stacey Todd Holt, Joshua Israel, Allen Kendall, Kate Marilley, Bronwyn Tarboton and Amy Van Norstrand.
The production team includes original set design by Beowulf Boritt, scenic coordination by Jared Rutherford, original costume design by Susan Benzinger, costume design for Paper Mill Playhouse by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Randy Hansen and animals by William Berloni.
