NBC proudly announced that they were bringing back their holiday musical tradition by announcing the upcoming production of Annie, Live! The live musical is set to hit TV screens just in time for the holidays! Set to air on Thursday, December 2, the “Universally beloved,” Annie returns to our screens once again.
Annie is based on the 1982 Little Orphan Annie comic strip by Harold Gray and has been remade several times. This time being presented as a live musical. NBC announced a nationwide casting search for the beloved Annie. In the meantime, the spotlight is on the Award Winning actress, Taraji P. Henson who NBC announced will play the role of Miss Hannigan. Per Variety, Henson confessed her feelings for the original Miss Hannigan actress stating,
“Carol Burnett, who brought Miss Hannigan to life in the classic 1982 movie, is someone I have studied and idolized as far back as I can remember. So when the opportunity came to me to join NBC and this incredible group of producers, I jumped! Carol, I hope to do you proud!”
Robert Greenblatt is listed as the executive producer of the musical along with Neil Meron. When speaking of the reason NBC decided to bring back their holiday tradition, Susan Rovner, Chairman of Entertainment Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming stated,
“When we decided to bring back NBC’s holiday musical tradition, we were looking for something that was critically acclaimed and universally beloved – and while that’s definitely the case with Annie, it absolutely applies to Taraji as well. Watching her take on this iconic role will be a thrill that has all the makings of must-watch television.”
Henson has definitely proven herself to be a versatile actress, I’m sure she will breathe life into this upcoming role. Henson expressed her excitement in an announcement to her Instagram page where she said, “SECRET’S OUT!! GET READY Y’ALL! I’m SO excited to take on the role and bring some holiday cheer with such a beloved production 👏🏾❤️.” Be sure to usher in your holidays this year by supporting NBC’s Annie, Live!
Learn more about the nationwide virtual casting search for Annie here.
