ABSTRACT
The phenomenon Annie started around Christmas of 1971. In a doubleday bookstore lyricist Martin Charnin was shopping for a Christmas gift. During the run at good speed, a new and streetwise actress, Andrea McArdle (thirteen at the time), took on the title role. She continued to enchant audiences through the broad way run and became the iconic face and voice of Annie for years to come. Like the source material that it is based on, Annie managed to strike a balance between adult content and childish optimism. Many happy scenes between Annie and Daddy Warbucks abounded throughout the show, but Charnin, Strouse, and Meehan built up a plot that involved genuinely frightening situations. However, the musicals produced by Disney theatrical entertainment were able to achieve the same meld of the frightening and joyous plot elements and songs that Annie achieved.
