NBC's ANNIE LIVE! (2021) - News & Discussion Thread- Page 2

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 3:49pm

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).

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 3:55pm

This is a very smart move by NBC; completely family friendly for the holidays and generations of fans.

Someone already said it...if not for COMPANY, Patti LuPone could be a great Miss Hannigan. 

Glenn Close?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:01pm

Dominique Jackson as Hannigan.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:04pm

Adrienne Warren.  What a nasty bitter energy.  Yikes.

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:04pm

Part of me wants Ted Danson as FDR, but… how’s Tim Curry’s speech and mobility? Any improvement since Rocky Horror TV? If he’s up to it, it could be a very fitting tribute to the original film and a great send off to a character actor likely on the verge of retirement.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:07pm

James Corden for FDR... at least he knows the character pretty well!

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:10pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "Kathryn Hahn as Hannigan, fresh off her run in WandaVision

(It was Hannigan all along...!)"

LOVE this!

 

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:12pm

I'll take Bette Midler as Hannigan please. 

[pmensky]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:12pm

Ali Stroker for Grace.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:13pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Adrienne Warren. What a nasty bitter energy. Yikes.

Wow, you said it.  And I can't imagine that this wouldn't be the most diverse Annie cast ever assembled.

 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:14pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Adrienne Warren. What a nasty bitter energy. Yikes.

"

From a business point of view, these are three shows that are gonna lift a lot of people up after a really dark time. And who knows, this Annie could be a totally racially diverse cast and it would work! In terms of the other two, those companies bought them and that's what they chose. Maybe there was interest in other shows or maybe there wasn't. I think it's a miracle Broadway shows will even be filmed for TV and Streaming at all. A win for the INDUSTRY as a whole. I am here for it and of course welcome other shows, but am I wrong in thinking this has nothing much to do with race?

Updated On: 5/12/21 at 04:14 PM

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:23pm

^^^ And for the record, I adore Warren as an actress and activist. I sincerely hope she'll be in Tina again. I think it would make a great show to be filmed for streaming or something. I hope she sees the change she longs for and that it makes her feel able to perform again this Fall. 

[NameGreg]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:23pm

To me any show being filmed is good news. We really need to get to the point where all closed shows can be streamed. To me it’s such an obvious idea, the archive could really benefit from this.

[DAME]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:34pm

ucjrdude902 said: "I'll take Bette Midler as Hannigan please."

I wouldn’t mind this at all.

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:44pm

The biggest issue of Annie casting is its a book musical so the performers need to be actually able to act, so we can't have another music star with little acting experience, unless we want another Carrie Underwood disaster. 

In truth I would love to see a POC Daddy Warbucks, as its so against type. Maybe Samuel L Jackson, might be interested, he's theoretically too big a name for Annie Live! but he is traditionally more interested in the project then the prestige.  I'd also point to Denzel, but he would have to be desperate for money before he would do it. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:46pm

Allison Janney as Miss Hannigan

Christian Borle as Rooster

Idina Menzel as Grace

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:51pm

Meryl Streep Hannigan

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 4:54pm

BCfitasafiddle said: "From a business point of view, these are three shows that are gonna lift a lot of people up after a really dark time. And who knows, this Annie could be a totally racially diverse cast and it would work! In terms of the other two, those companies bought them and that's what they chose. Maybe there was interest in other shows or maybe there wasn't. I think it's a miracle Broadway shows will even be filmed for TV and Streaming at all. A win for the INDUSTRY as a whole. I am here for it and of course welcome other shows, but am I wrong in thinking this has nothing much to do with race?"

I guess I'm less optimistic about racially diverse casting for this Annie than other people are after that Quvenzhane Wallis/Jamie Foxx movie (at best, colorblind casting vs. color-conscious casting) but that's beside the point. I think it's just unfortunate timing. There's a lot involved in which shows get filmed. Did filming pro-shots of Memphis, Allegiance, and Hamilton reflect respect for on stage diversity, the stories of BIPOC, etc. or were they financial decisions where everyone involved could be compensated enough to sign off on the rights? Everything was not perfect on Broadway when those shows were filmed. There are also other projects in the works like the Once on This Island movie that don't fall into the pro-shot or live TV musical categories. That said, is this bad optics? Sure. 

Btw, I would love if they filmed Caroline, or Change like they did with She Loves Me. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 5:18pm

I'm all for some racial diversity and I do think we'll get that. It's fairly easy to do with this show. But the Daddy Warbucks/Annie dynamic does have different optics depending on who they cast. 

Also, I've been in the show and don't remember it being 3 to 4 hours like someone mention. I mean they've made a few movies, so it can easily be trimmed. 

[jlindsey865]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 5:28pm

Toni Collette as Hannigan?

Updated On: 5/12/21 at 05:28 PM

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 5:38pm

Bette yes.  Latifah no.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 5:44pm

Huh? ANNIE has always run a little over 2 hours including the intermission. Where on Earth has it ever had a running time of 3-4 hours?! Impossible. Even the 1982 film adaptation, which expanded a bit, is 2 hours 6 minutes. The 1999 ABC Disney movie, that closely followed the stage version, was 90 minutes.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 6:00pm

Guys: Phillipa Soo for Grace!

Someone recognizable but with the Broadway vocals to back it up. Regardless, I’d imagine Grace and maybe Rooster could be Broadway representation. I think the other roles can settle for actor first singer second and will be bigger names. One issue I see that someone else touched on, I think Rent and Jesus Christ Superstar were better shows (regardless of ratings) because they could cast popular singers rather than Broadway singers whereas Peter Pan failed as it took actors who couldn’t sell it. Interested to see if they pull it off. I would’ve liked to see something we don’t already have two movie version of done but alas.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 6:03pm

bwayobsessed said: "Guys: Phillipa Soo for Grace!

Someone recognizable but with the Broadway vocals to back it up. Regardless, I’d imagine Grace and maybe Rooster could be Broadway representation. I think the other roles can settle for actor first singer second and will be bigger names. One issue I see that someone else touched on, I think Rent and Jesus Christ Superstar were better shows (regardless of ratings) because they could cast popular singers rather than Broadway singers whereas Peter Pan failed as it took actors who couldn’t sell it. Interested to see if they pull it off. I would’ve liked to see something we don’t already have two movie version of done but alas."

Three movie versions... I see you're trying to forget that atrocious 2014 adaptation. And yes, I would love to see Soo as Grace.

Updated On: 5/12/21 at 06:03 PM

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 6:04pm

Yes I stand corrected, I was forgetting that one. Which I did see in theaters and everything lol