What's your opinion on a male playing Annie? — Page 2

No. Just no.

Danny?

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Agreed. No doesn't have enough letters to express all the no-ness of it all (Wow, I don't make sense).
I was going to make the same suggestion about the Star-To-Be though.

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everyone interested in this thread should Google (or search engine on Playbill Online or here) for "That's Andy" which is a wonderful new musical based on the same concept, but cleverly (for trademark purposes most likely) never mentioning the title of the Charnin/Meehan/Strouse show. i believe there is to be another workshop of it in the NYC area soon, but i'm not sure it's a public one.

And if we're playing, "What I'd Do", i'd make the orphans co-ed (despite the presence of the number LITTLE GIRLS), and feature the boy on MAYBE. Spread the wealth. If the parents can't get over the boys competing with the girls for the orphan slots, they are not the type of families you want to be working with anyway.

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I actually want to second the suggestion that you make the boy the Star-to-Be. That's a perfect chance to give him a big number, sort of "introduce" the boy to your audience as a great little singer and also let him know he's someone you want to use.

Without a doubt, no. I too admire you for being so open minded, and when I was this kids age, I would probably love you for it, but there is no way he would ever live it down and what parents would let someone subject their child to that? Let alone, what director would subject a child to that? If you know you want to work this kid in somehow I think you should make the orphanige coed and double-cast him as the Star-to-Be also, so he could have solo's in all the orphan numbers and be in all the orphan scenes, and also have a part of a big number to himself. Out of curiosity, were young boys urged to audition even though Annie doesn't have any in it? And also, if you did cast this poor kid as Annie (God forbid), what are you planning on doing? Changing the part to a male or dressing the kid up as a girl?--Both, in my opinion, equally inconsiderate and unfair to the child, as much as he probably thinks he wants the role.

And about all the "turning him gay" jokes, come on.

I'm all for creative, non-traditional casting, when it works. In this case... not so much.

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Is it too late to change shows? I know a small theatre group that was going to do Honk! Jr. but had to switch to Dear Edwina Jr. instead due to the number of kids.

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I think its just fine. I played Oliver! when I was around 9 years old and I am a girl. Acting is pretending to be something you're not. I wasn't a little orphaned London boy, but I played one. As long as you think he can pull it off, then I don't see what the problem is.

Hm... now that I read LF's post... why is it ok for a girl to play a boy, but not the other way around? I mean, I'm guilty of this (see my previous post). When I choreographed "Fiddler..." last year, we didn't have enough men audition, so some women were cast in male chorus parts. We had a little girl play a jewish boy... And that's fine. But the only time men are cast as females is for *comic* relief or as stunt casting. I just wonder...

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