Rosie O'Donnell to star in Annie-according to Huff Post

[CukorLover]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 9:55am

say it isn't so......
Rosie O'Donnell Joining Broadway Cast Of 'Annie'

Posted: 3/21/12 at 9:58am

NOOOOOO!

[dreaming]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:05am

Ugh, I hope that's not true.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:12am

She is the kiss of death to a Broadway show. All she generates is negative publicity.

I do have to say that if this is true, her agent was working overtime. To be in Chicago and let go from OWN and suddenly have a Broadway gig? That's an amazing bit of work.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:15am

I hope this isn't true. With all the TALENTED character actresses in NYC (Beth Leavel anyone), they pick her???

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:22am

She'll be fine. It's Annie, not Marie Christine.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:24am

Did anyone bother to read the article? It says that nothing is signed, and all the source confirms is that "negotiations are well under way." We knew this days ago when she tweeted about taking meetings. There doesn't seem to be any new information in this article.

"Ro loves Broadway and is super excited about playing the part, a friend of Rosies tells me. The paperwork hasnt been signed yet but the negotiations are well under way. This is a great role that she will be able to sink her teeth into and will get her back to acting and performing live, which has always been her first love.

[HeightOfNonchalance]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:29am

I hope it happens. She was excellent in Encores' No, No, Nanette.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:29am

This honestly sounds like a good publicist's spin on the article that came out earlier this week. "Meeting"..."negotiations"....the word choice is just semantics. Rosie wants the role and to her credit she (and her publicist)is going balls to the walls to try to get it. But this article is just spin. There is no real new news here.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:37am

"I hope it happens. She was excellent in Encores' No, No, Nanette."

Didn't she play Pauline, the maid in that? There's a huge difference between playing a little gem of a role with 5 or 6 good wisecracking lines and playing a role that needs to "carry" the show!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:42am

I wouldn't say Miss Hannigan carries the show, but its hard to imagine Rosie O'Donnell creating the kind of show stopping performance Dorothy Loudon did in the original production.

[Patash]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:49am

Well, the role "carries the show" for me. Take Miss Hannigan out of the show and what's left? Not much, in my book!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:58am

Probably indicative than that you've just never seen a good production of ANNIE. Loudon may have been terrific in the original, but if the audience wasn't equally (or more) compelled by the central story of Annie and Daddy Warbucks, the first Broadway production wouldn't have been such a colossal hit.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 10:58am

I think it's fair to say that Miss Hannigan is the antagonist in the show and without her there's not conflict. However, the show as originally written doesn't give Hannigan as much stage time as one would expect.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:09am

Rosie would be an excellent choice to play Miss Hannigan except for one little thing.

She can't sing.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:22am

... she can't dance ... and she can't act.

A triple threat.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:28am

The problem with O'Donnell is that we can all imagine the performance in our heads already and that's probably exactly what it will be (and not just because of those youtube clips with her as Hannigan in her cruise). I thought the producers' idea to go after Tracey Ullman was genius, she would have torn the stage!
I also agree that there are tons of character actresses who could have done wonders with this part: Debra Messing (when is she gonna do a musical on stage already?), Jane Krakowski, Donna Murphy, and Sherie Rene Scott would have had a riot playing the role AND found exciting, interesting ways to approach it.

Updated On: 3/21/12 at 11:28 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:32am

They don't really want to do a legitimate production of Annie (and for those who think there isn't such a thing, you've never seen a good one, then).

They just want to crank up the old "machine" of Annie, Inc., and let it sell itself with a recognizable headliner.

Going with Rosie very clearly indicates "business" before "show."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:35am

Reallllly? We're actually going to set up a dynamic whereby the hiring of Rosie O'Donnell would be seen as a blow to the artistic sanctity of ANNIE, fergawdssakes?

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:36am

That tells me you've never seen a good production of Annie.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:37am

You might want to change your signature to "I'VE seen a good production of 'Annie'"

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:38am

You should change yours to "I've never seen a good production of Annie."

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:44am

I completely agree with Besty, and mind you, I've never seen a production of ANNIE good or bad. However, from Loudon's legendary performance I feel like the character of Hannigan can be so much more than just a broad. O'Donnell is gonna play her with a wink to the audience, she'll probably overdo every joke so that only the kids laugh, and play the caricature so that everyone knows she really does like kids no matter what the songs suggest.
I think Tracey Ullman could've done broad while being hilarious, Sherie Rene Scott would have been dark and scary, Jane Krakowski would have found laughs where there weren't any, and Murphy would have turned in one of her usual masterclass style performances (just look at what she did with Ruth Sherwood and Cora Hoover). I just think there were so many other actresses that could have done this in a really interesting way and let the audience re-discover ANNIE. Instead, much like Besty said, the audience will get their theme parky version of ANNIE.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:55am

Jane Krakowski and Debra Messing?
You're on the crack, two of the worst choices for this role.

Murphy or Scott, on the other hand, would be wonderful.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/21/12 at 11:55am

The original production of Annie had some depth to it. No, it wasn't "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" ... but it WAS "Mike Nichols' Annie," originally. He didn't direct, but he put his stamp on it (and his name), which back in 1977 was already legendary.

I don't mean to suggest it was far from its comic strip roots, but in addition to the humor and fun, there was a very human element, a social awareness (particularly in the Herbert Hoover number), and simple but gritty sincerity that has been missing from all subsequent productions and adaptations.

Dorothy Loudon was a rare blend of an actress who could seem cartoonish one second and heartbreakingly realistic the next. Not easy to pull off in one performer, let alone one musical number.

Add Reid Shelton (I saw him in the part), who was incredibly dynamic with a beautiful voice and charisma and comic timing that leapt off the stage ...

Then add Andrea McArdle, who was the opposite of "cute" and "adorable." She was a tough-as-nails cookie who looked like she could defend herself against anybody or anything, including the Great Depression, who also opened her mouth and belted to the rafters like no other actress who has played her since.

The original production and early tours really worked. It felt like a musical for all ages, not a kiddie show or an introduction to theatre, and not sanitized for the "Majority's" approval.