NBC's ANNIE LIVE! (2021) - News & Discussion Thread

LizzieCurry posted this in the Birdie thread, so it will eventually need its own once more news and casting pops up. Thanks, Lizzie! 

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/annie-live-nbc-christmas-holidays-bob-greenblatt-neil-meron-1234971627/

Tony winner (Ain’t Too Proud) and Olivier winner (Memphis) Sergio Trujillo will choreograph the production. Paul Tazewell will design the costumes and Jason Sherwood will handle the scenery. Tazewell won an Emmy award for The Wiz Live! and most recently designed costumes for Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story” remake; Emmy winner Sherwood’s production design credits include “Rent: Live” and the 2020 Oscars.

Also joining the team is music supervisor and orchestrator Stephen Oremus (The Wiz Live!), who will head the music department for Annie Live! Chloe Productions is the producer of the live event.

Updated On: 8/26/21 at 03:10 PM

This will be great! Perfect for the holidays and totally uplifting, just what we need. Can't wait to hear the casting.

Damn, if this wasn't right when "Company" was starting, I'd say I need Patti as Hannigan.

This is honestly a very welcome surprise. I am looking forward to it. But, yes, definitely interesting on who they could cast to play Hannigan. Some ideas that pop into my head are Yvette Nicole Brown, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph... now more SNL/NBC names are coming up. :)

I am very excited for this! Interestingly enough, I was never a huge Annie fan until I saw the last revival (which I loved).

I really do like Annie (and I'm glad the revival brought us Anthony Warlow). This should be fun!

DAME said: "Dear G-d , please no Queen Latifah as Hannigan. Thats what tends to happen in these things."

Literally came here to post the same thing!

jacobsnchz14 said: "Some ideas that pop into my head areYvette Nicole Brown, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph... now more SNL/NBC names are coming up. :)"

The entire staff could be (distracting) cameos. I can hear Kate McKinnon in my head as Mrs. Pugh now!

Margaret Cho for Hannigan.

If this were much sooner I would have loved for the ladies of Girls5Eva to cameo as the Lovely Boylan Sisters in "...Never Fully Dressed...". 

jacobsnchz14 said: "This is honestly a very welcome surprise. I am looking forward to it. But, yes, definitely interesting on who they could cast to play Hannigan. Some ideas that pop into my head areYvette Nicole Brown, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph... now more SNL/NBC names are coming up. :)"

While I love all those actresses, I sincerely hope they do not cast anyone from SNL.  It's never inspired casting when they do that.

The one issue that this may face, which I hadn't thought about before, is length. The show's like 3 or 4 hours long, which is odd, as there isn't that much score. It's a very talky book. Don't the NBC Live! broadcasts tend to be around 2 hours? Wonder if they'll expand the time or cut the show (as was done with the Annie t.v. movie).