Emily Skinner to Star as Miss Hannigan in Goodspeed’s 50th Anniversary Annie

Tony nominee Emily Skinner will play Miss Hannigan in Goodspeed Musicals’ 50th anniversary production of Annie, returning the beloved musical to the East Haddam, Connecticut, theater where it first began its journey toward Broadway. Performances are set for October 30-December 27, with an official press opening scheduled for November 11.

Skinner has appeared at Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in The Great American Mousical, directed by Julie Andrews. Her recent Broadway credits include The Cher Show and Suffs.

The remainder of the cast will be announced at a later date.

Annie features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin, who also directed the original Broadway production. The musical is based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie.”

Jenn Thompson will direct the new production, with Patricia Wilcox choreographing and Goodspeed Resident Music Director Adam Souza serving as music director.

Thompson, a former actor who appeared as Pepper in the original Broadway company of Annie, previously directed the recent three-year North American tour of the musical, which culminated in an engagement at Madison Square Garden.

Annie originally premiered at Goodspeed in 1976 before transferring to Broadway, where it became a major hit and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.