cityXtra Magazine

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS: ANNIE

Times-Union Center | October 21-26, 2014 | 8 Performances
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The new U.S. National Tour of ANNIE will play at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater from Tuesday, October 21st through Sunday, October 26th for eight performances only. Tickets for ANNIE go on sale Friday, September 12th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award®-winning original. ANNIE has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards® for their work.   Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony Award®-winning choreography.

Here’s a sneak peek of the casting of ANNIE, which aired on the inaugural episode of the Broadway Balances America mini-series during The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television:  http://bit.ly/AnnieBBA

Tickets for ANNIE in Jacksonville start at $37.50 and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin).  The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever.  It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

The beloved score for ANNIE includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award® winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designer’s Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin’ Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenksi (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt “Sandy” will once again be trained by Tony Award® Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde).    Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by Troika Entertainment, LLC.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut.  Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks.  In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews.  Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR.  Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

ANNIE Performance Schedule at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center:

Tuesday, October 21st at 7:30PM - 13th Annual Family Night on Broadway!
Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30PM
Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30PM
Friday, October 24th at 8PM
Saturday, October 25th at 2PM & 8PM
Sunday, October 26th at 1:30PM & 7PM

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.