Bourn Players will be performing the musical Annie at Comberton Village College on March 22 until 24th 2012 inclusive.

We are pleased that the production team this year includes Alison Wareham (Director), Roger King (Production), Di Downing (Choreography), Basil Jacques (Set) and Nick Wareham (Musical Director).

Rehearsals will be held on Thursday evenings.

We will be auditioning on Thursday 10th November at Hardwick Primary School from 6:30 until 8:00pm for children and between 8:00 and 9:30 for adults. A second audition will be held on Thursday 17th November from 6:30 until 7:30 for children call backs and from 7:30 until 9:30 for adults. Anyone who wishes to be in the show but can’t make these rehearsal dates should contact Alison Wareham at Alison.wareham1@btinternet.com.

We are also keen to hear from anyone who wishes to help with backstage roles and also from anyone who has a dog who wishes to be considered for the role of Sandy, an adorable (and well trained) stray.

Synopsis

Act 1.

It is 1933 and eleven-year-old Annie is in the Municipal Girls Orphanage, along with Molly, who is six, Kate, who is seven, Tessie, who is ten, July, who is thirteen, Pepper, who is twelve and Duffy, who is thirteen. When Molly awakes from a bad dream at 3:00AM, Annie comforts her. Molly then asks her to read the note Annie's parents gave her in 1922, when she was left at the doorstep of the orphanage. The note says that her parents will come pick her up, so Annie is always hopeful that they are still out there ("Maybe").

Annie decides to escape to find her parents, but is caught by the orphanage supervisor Miss Hannigan, who is currently suffering from a hangover. Miss Hannigan is angered by this and forces all the girls to vigorously clean the orphanage ("Hard Knock Life"). Shortly after, Mr Bundles, the laundry man, comes in to pick up the blankets. While Miss Hannigan is flirting with him, Annie climbs into the laundry basket and the orphans cover her up with blankets. Once Miss Hannigan realizes Annie is gone, the other orphans express their frustration ("Hard Knock Life Reprise").

Annie successfully escapes, running into a friendly stray dog. As she comforts him, she tells him of better days yet to come ("Tomorrow"). The dog catcher is after him, so Annie pretends he is hers by calling him Sandy. Though at first unsuccessful, he is convinced, and she continues. She later finds a Hooverville, where people made homeless by the Great Depression have come together as a community ("Hooverville (We'd Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover)"). However, a cop sent by Hannigan catches her and brings her back.

Grace Farrell, assistant to the billionaire Oliver Warbucks, comes to the orphanage asking for an orphan to come to his house for the Christmas holiday. Because Annie was in Miss Hannigan's office, Grace asks to take Annie, and Hannigan reluctantly agrees. Once Grace has left, Miss Hannigan explodes with her hatred for all the girls in the orphanage ("Little Girls").

Meanwhile, at the Warbucks Mansion, the servants and staff welcome Annie with open arms ("I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here"). When Oliver Warbucks comes back though, he is very moody and not too happy to have an orphan in his house. He asks Grace to take Annie to a movie, but she persuades him to come. As Annie and Warbucks begin to like each other, they enjoy a fabulous night in New York City ("NYC").

Back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and his floozy girlfriend, Lily St. Regis, pay a visit. Miss Hannigan mentions that Annie is staying at a billionaire's house, and Rooster and Lily think they could use this situation to get rich, though they don't yet know how ("Easy Street").

Warbucks sees the locket around Annie's neck, and buys her a new one from Tiffany & Co. However, Annie bursts into tears saying it was the only thing left by her parents, and refuses to accept a new one. Grace and the Warbucks' staff then pledge to find Annie's parents no matter what it takes ("You Won't be an Orphan For Long").

Act 2.

Annie soon appears on the radio, on a show by Bert Healy, singing Maybe. On the show, Warbucks announces that he is offering 50,000 dollars to the couple that proves to be her parents. Healy then sings a song for everyone with the Boylan sisters ("You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"). The girls in the orphanage happen to be listening, and decide to have fun and dance around and sing the song they've just heard ("Fully Dressed Children"). When Miss Hannigan hears, she barges in and demands to know what was happening. Molly announces that Annie was on the radio, and that there is a $50,000 reward for her parents. Miss Hannigan is anything but pleased. Shortly after, a couple named Ralph and Shirley Mudge come in, saying they left a little girl here eleven years ago and have come back for her. Miss Hannigan is shocked. The Mudges soon reveal themselves to be Rooster and Lily, and explain their plan for the reward. They request information about Annie from Miss Hannigan for one third of the money, though she demands one half for this service, and tells them about the note and the locket. They develop a complete plan ("Easy Street Reprise").

Back at the mansion, hundreds of couples are showing up, though all are confirmed to be fakes by Grace, because none knew about the locket. Warbucks brings Annie to Washington D.C. where she requests to meet the president. FDR asks her to stay, and she begins to sing Tomorrow, though shushed by the cabinet. Roosevelt however, believes that people must be optimistic during tough times, and commands his cabinet to sing ("Cabinet Tomorrow"). Once back at the mansion, Warbucks tells Annie how much he loves her ("Something Was Missing"). Because Annie's parents have not shown up, Warbucks announces he would like to adopt Annie ("I Don't Need Anything But You"). They decide to throw a Christmas party, and Annie wants to invite Miss Hannigan and the orphans. While preparing, the delighted staff tell of how Annie's arrival has changed their lives ("Annie").

Judge Louis Brandeis shows up to begin the adoption proceedings, but is interrupted by Mr. and Mrs. Mudge (Rooster and Lily in disguise) who come to pick up Annie. Grace and Oliver are shocked, because they know about the note and the locket. Still, Warbucks doesn't think they are Annie's real parents. Warbucks requests that Annie be allowed to stay one more night for the Christmas party, and then be taken away to their supposed Pig Farm in New Jersey. Early that morning, she wishes she could have been adopted, and not sent off with her "parents" ("Maybe Reprise"). However, it is revealed by FDR, who shows up, that her parents are actually Margaret and David Bennett, who died when she was a baby. They then figure out that Mr. and Mrs. Mudge are really Rooster and Lily just as they show up to claim Annie and the money. They, along with Miss Hannigan, are arrested by the Secret Service, and everyone is delighted by FDR's new deal for the economy ("New Deal for Christmas").

List of Characters

A MAN

AN ANNOUNCER

AN USSHERETTE

ANNETTE A French Maid
ANNIE Spunky, friendly, big-voiced, street-wise urchin--one of the orphans
Age 11 A - high F Mezzo-Soprano

APPLE SELLER

ARTIE

BERT HEALY Radio Personality
BOYLAN SISTERS Bonnie, Connie, Ronnie; Singing sisters, perform on "Oxydent's Hour of Smiles" radio program
BUNDLES McCLOSKEY The Laundryman
CECILLE A French Maid
CORDELL HULL Male Cabinet member
DOG CATCHERS

DRAKE Warbucks's English Butler
DUFFY The biggest orphan
Age 13
EDDIE Francis Perkins Female Cabinet member
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT The President
C-flat - E-sharp Baritone
FRED McCRACKEN Radio Personality
GRACE FARRELL Faithful Assistant to Warbucks
A - high G Soprano
HAROLD ICKES Male Cabinet member
HENRY MORGENTHAU Male Cabinet member
HONOR GUARD

HOOVERVILLE DENIZEN

IRA

JIMMY JOHNSON

JULY The quietest orphan Age 13
JUSTICE BRANDEIS

KALTENBORN's VOICE

KATE The next to littlest orphan Age 7
LILY Rooster's floozy girlfriend D - high G Soprano
LOUIS HOWE Associate to Roosevelt
LT. WARD

MARY

MISS HANNIGAN Cantankerous and mean old orphanage director
A - A flat Mezzo-Soprano
MOLLY The littlest orphan Age 6
MRS. GREER The Housekeeper
MRS. PUGH The Cook
NBC PAGE

OLIVER WARBUCKS Warm-hearted, stiff-collared host to Annie for 2 weeks at Christmas
C - high F Baritone
PEGGY PEPPER The toughest orphan Age 12
ROOSTER Miss Hannigan's no-good brother
B - high G Baritone
SECOND COP

SOPHIE The Kettle
SOUND EFFECTS MAN

STAR TO BE

TESSIE The cry baby orphan Age 10
WACKY Radio Personality

Musical numbers

Extracts from the songs below can be heard at http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000005

Act 1

• Overture — Orchestra

• Maybe — Annie & Orphans

• Hard Knock Life — Annie & Orphans

• Hard Knock Life (Reprise) — Orphans

• Tomorrow — Annie

• Hooverville (We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover) —Hooverville-ites

• Little Girls — Miss Hannigan

• Little Girls (Reprise) — Miss Hannigan

• I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here — Grace, Annie & Servants

• N.Y.C. — Warbucks, Grace, Annie, Star-to-Be, Chorus

• Easy Street — Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily

• You Won't Be an Orphan for Long - Grace & Warbucks

• Maybe (Reprise one) — Annie

Act 2

• Maybe (Reprise two) — Annie

• You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile — Bert Healy, Boylan Sisters

• You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Children) — Orphans

• Easy Street (Reprise) — Rooster, Miss Hannigan, Lily

• Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)  — Annie, Roosevelt, Warbucks, Cabinet

• Something Was Missing —Warbucks

• I Don't Need Anything But You — Warbucks & Annie

• Annie — Grace, Drake & Servants

• Maybe (Reprise three) — Annie

• New Deal for Christmas — Warbucks & Servants