Reality show to cast Annie?

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:14pm

I know this would probably be a disaster, but do you think it would be smart to put on a reality show to find the title role of Annie? It might get even more people to come see the show and kids excited about it

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:17pm

Since the last time Annie was on Broadway there was a disastrous contest, I would reckon their best bet would be to audition and hire their Annie the old-fashioned way.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:21pm

I predict it would end in tears. Oh wait a minute, they did it for the last revival and it did end in tears because the Annie they chose wasn't the Annie they used for the show.

Come to think of it, for every Broadway production of Annie, the first little girl has always been fired. It's like a tradition.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:25pm

Arielle Tepper Maldover (who's producing the show) has already addressed this possibility:

"'Annie has always been played by an unknown, so I’m guessing we’ll go that way,' Ms. Madover said. She also said she would be reluctant to do a television reality show about searching for a young actress to play 'Annie,' like the NBC show in 2007 that contributed to the casting of the last Broadway revival of “Grease.” 'That would be very hard for me to do, because we’re talking about a 10-year-old girl, and having to tell a 10-year-old that they’re not going to get the role is just a horrible idea to me,' she said.

'I could see having a contest to cast Sandy the dog, though, somehow to find us the best rescue dog out there for the show'..."

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/annie-returning-to-broadway/

Updated On: 6/30/10 at 03:25 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:34pm

I think a documentary would be interesting, but not something that would allow an audience to select the winner. I think it would put WAY too much stress on the young girls. Stage mothers and the inherent behavior of children are bad enough without having to add a national personality contest to the mix. The Facebook bashing and Youtube comments alone would probably be enough to crash the web.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:44pm

There's already a documentary on Annie that shows what happens to all these little girls when they grow up. It's sad.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:46pm

http://www.lifeaftertomorrow.com/

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 3:55pm

Yeah, I watched Life After Tomorrow. I enjoyed it. I was specifically thinking about a documentary on the casting of Annie from initial auditions to opening night on Broadway would be interesting. I love the show, but have yet had the opportunity to see a good production.