NBC's "Annie Live" Was a Musical Marvel for All to Enjoy

Surrounding star Celina Smith were crooner Harry Connick Jr as billionaire tycoon Oliver Warbucks Nicole Scherzinger as his secretary Grace Farrell Taraji P Henson as the scheming Ms Hannigan Tituss Burgess as her equally conniving brother Rooster Megan Hilty as his girlfriend Lily St Regis and Alan Toy as President Franklin D Roosevelt Toy made history as the first actor with a disability to play the role the same disability that affected FDR during his Presidency This group of TV stars and Broadway veterans were by far the most diverse cast ever attached to Annie with nearly half of the principal roles performed by actors of colorStarting off the show with great humor 110 energy and showstopping performances were the orphans who sing and dance their socks off in the classic introductory number quotIt39s The Hard Knock Lifequot with a particularly adorable performance from Felice Kakaletris as the youngest of the group Molly Young Smith who was cast as Annie after a nationwide talent search portrayed the rambunctious little girl with a wonderful balance of toughness vulnerability and optimism It was truly starmaking performance Keep an eye on this young performer You39ll see her again soon I39m sure of itWe39ve been aware of Taraji P Henson39s vocal talents way back in 200539s Hustle ampamp Flow But as we know singing in a film versus a live musical is very different and Henson did not disappoint Her performance harkened back to those of classic comedy queens like Lucille Ball ending some of her already hysterical lines with a mean mug toward the audience earning a big laugh every time Henson39s physical comedy elevated the largerthanlife character who just wants a wealthy man to sweep her off her feet Her showstopping moment was quotLittle Girlsquot in act one and her chemistry with her onstage brother Rooster played by the phenomenal Tituss Burgess was impeccable It wouldn39t be a true Burgess performance without some swelling high notes hitting the rafters and he certainly delivered at the end of quotEasy Streetquot alongside marvelous Megan Hilty a lastminute addition to the cast replacing the originally announced Jane Krakowski who had to drop out of the project after a breakthrough bout of COVID19A veteran of stage and screen Hilty has been muchmissed by musical fans as she hasn39t been seen in one since the 2012 Encores production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where she once again channeled her Marilyn Monroe just as she did in her first major role in NBC39s musical drama SmashNicole Scherzinger unsurprisingly more than held her own as a total triple threat in a warm and charismatic performance as Grace Farrell She brilliantly balanced her soaring soprano and powerhouse vocals in quotI Think I39m Gonna Like It Herequot harkening back to her pop star days in the girl group The Pussycat Dolls Her dance skills were showcased alongside the ensemble in quotWe39ve Got Anniequot a number added to the Live production from the 1982 film adaptationHarry Connick Jr did what he does best crooning classic Broadway tunes like quotNYCquot and quotSomething Was Missingquot He also played piano during the latter song tapped and shuffled along with Warbucks39 staff and shared some subtle but sincere romantic moments with Scherzinger39s Grace During one of the breaks at the dress rehearsal Connick Jr gushed to the audience about the ensemble lauding them as quotsome of the most talented singers and dancers I39ve ever worked withquotThe ensemble made up of over a dozen Broadway veterans brought tons of energy into the Depressionera musical from the backflipping butlers and twirling maids in quotI Think I39m Gonna Like It Herequot to the total showstoppers quotWe39d Like To Thank You Herbert Hooverquot and quotNYCquot Thanks to Stephen Oremus39 music supervision and orchestrations the ensemble was given more time to shine in extended dance breaks in nearly every group number choreographed by Tony Awardwinner Sergio Trujillo Combined with vibrant costumes from Paul Tazewell and majestic scenery from Jason Sherwood Annie Live felt like a fullon Broadway showOne more thing Moments before quotNYCquot Warbucks suggested that Grace take Annie to see a Broadway show originally scripted to be a trip to the movies Warbucks says quotIt39s so good to see Broadway back on its feet after such trying timesquot referring to the Great Depression of course amp8230 but it39s no secret that the Broadway community was hit hard by the nearly 18month COVID shutdown The invited audience roared in applause all fans of the theatre no doubt happy to see Broadway shows and productions like Annie Live back just in time for the holiday seasonAnnie Live was executive produced by Robert Greenblatt alongside Neil Meron with direction from Lear deBessonet and live television direction from Alex Rudzinski who also served as executive producerClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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NBC's "Annie Live" Was a Musical Marvel for All to Enjoy

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Juan Ayala

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