Whoopi Goldberg starring in ANNIE at MSG — Page 3

Oh also Sandy was great as well and maybe the audience-favorite performer going by reactions. Especially when Sandy is looking for Annie after "NYC." I think this dog's name was Kevin.

Updated On: 12/12/24 at 12:59 AM

I'm curious because I always found it adorable. Does Sandy have an understudy? I know the last Bway revival did.

All Sandy’s have had an understudy, including the original 1977 Broadway production of ANNIE. His name was Arf.

Fun Fact: Bill Berloni made his professional animal trainer debut with the original ANNIE production in 1977 (at age 20) and has been the sole animal trainer for Broadway and countless professional productions for decades for shows like LEGALLY BLONDE, GYPSY, etc. All animals are rescue animals.

Here’s the original Sandy (on the right) with his understudy Arf:

BrodyFosse123 said: "I'm curious because I always found it adorable. Does Sandy have an understudy? I know the last Bway revival did.

All Sandy’s have had an understudy, including the original 1977 Broadway production of ANNIE. His name was Arf.

Fun Fact: Bill Berloni made his professional animal trainer debut with the original ANNIE production in 1977 (at age 20) and has been the sole animal trainer for Broadway and countless professional productions for decades for shows like LEGALLY BLONDE, GYPSY, etc. All animals are rescue animals.

Here’s the original Sandy (on the right) with his understudy Arf:

"

I just don't see one listed on the show's website. If anyone can upload the cast list plus understudies, I'd appreciate it.

BrodyFosse123 said: "Kevin, the 7-year-old Labradoodle currently playing Sandy at MSG’s ANNIE, has an understudy named Seamus. Both are trained byCharlotte Woertler."

I love it! Thanks

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "How many players in the orchestra for this one?"

Looks like 10, but I would have guessed more. Most of the orchestra is playing multiple instruments. We have two woodwinds playing nine instruments. There were also some fun choreography moments but I don't know the show well enough to say what is kind of baked into it and what's the production.

Again, I don't want to go overboard but I'm still kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I guess the venue and the idea of bringing in a celebrity to goose up a tour stop (which I also probably thought was longer in the tooth) made me expect something tacky, and beyond Whoopi really showing up for the part, this was a good production with a lot of energy. I'm sure a lot of those kids are really excited to be in New York for the holidays.

I saw this at MSG before Whoopi joined and it was WONDERFUL. I had really low expectations for this because the tour has been running for 2 years prior and I had heard it was not that good. I also am not a big fan of Annie having seen the story in various iterations over many years - I didn't really feel the need to see it again.

This show was done very well, all the kids and adults were fantastic in their roles, and the cast chemistry was great. I can only imagine how much more energy there would be with Whoopi in it and it's making me want to go a second time to see her (I never thought I would want to see the same production of Annie twice!)

That said, the only thing I kind of noticed was there didn't seem to be much differentiation with the orphans other than Annie and Molly. Each orphan is supposed to be a little different but they all seemed kind of the same. However they were all great singers, actors and dancers and put a lot of energy into the role.

Go see this - it is one of the better productions of Annie that will be in the NYC area for a long time!

I've seen this both with Whoopi and her understudy earlier in the run, and I think Whoopi's comedic timing really enhances the role, but ultimately her understudy had the better performance and synergy with the cast. I agree with the others who have stated that Whoopi just saying things that probably are not in the script at times, but that's what makes her so hilarious in this production. As for the rest of the cast, I really love how the ensemble puts in the work for every group number. I've never seen a tour production before but I'm thoroughly impressed! Overall I don't think this is a waste of money if you want a great holiday trip to the theater with your family!

This is a great production. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Cast is great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOYzz6YtYDY

yyys said: "on TDF again with dates this week/weekend and next Monday!"

Thank you! I have friends that want to see this now!

Ticketmaster says: Whoopi Goldberg will perform as Miss Hannigan December 11 - January 5 with the exception of December 12.

Mickey3309 said: "Is there any info on any planned absences for Whoopi during this run? Maybe she plans on doing all performances.I figured she might miss a few but Ican’t find any info re: her schedule."