Tryouts
Scheduled for Wed & Thurs
May 24th & 25th 7pm - Elkader Opera House
Cast of Annie Warbucks
Children's roles are marked with an * - Featured vocalists are marked with an #.
*#ANNIE | spunky, big-voiced, ~11, mezzo (A - high F) |
*#MOLLY | littlest orphan, ~6 |
*#PEACHES | a sassy orphan, ~11 |
*#PEPPER | the toughest orphan, ~12 |
*#TESSIE | the cry baby orphan, ~10 |
#OLIVER WARBUCKS | warm-hearted, stiff-collared; baritone (C - high F) (Script suggests approx 50 year old) |
#GRACE FARRELL | faithful assistant to Warbucks, Soprano (C - E-flat) (Script suggests approx 25 year old Blonde) |
#DRAKE | Warbucks's English butler |
MRS. PUGH | Warbuck's Housekeeper |
SIMON WHITEHEAD | Warbuck's Attorney |
FLETCHER | Warbucks' chauffeur |
#HARRIET DOYLE | middle-aged bureaucrat; mezzo (G - B-natural) |
#MRS. KELLY | Mrs. Doyles scheming daughter, mezzo (B - belt C) |
HARRY | a male clerk at the Dept. of Child Welfare |
MISS CLARK | in charge of the orphanage |
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT | The President |
DAVID LILLIANTHAL | a White House Aide |
GARNER | the Vice-President |
SENATOR VANDENBERG | |
GLADYS | a White House secretary |
DR. MARGARET WHITTLEBY | a child psychologist - A possible mother for Annie. |
#ALVIN PATERSON | poor Tennessee sharecropper and minister |
#ELLA PATERSON | poor Tennessee sharecropper's wife, mezzo (E - A) |
*#C.G. PATERSON | poor Tennessee sharecropper's daughter ~10-16 |
PRICE | Warbucks' Accountant |
WATERHOUSE | Warbucks' Accountant |
MR. STANLEY | Tennessee Mill owner |
A TRAINMAN | |
CHORUS | Other Orphans, Servants, White House Aides, Hoboes, Wedding Guests, etc |
Songs:
A New Deal For Christmas | All |
Annie Ain't Just Annie Anymore | Annie, Warbucks, Grace, Drake, Staff |
Above The Law | Mrs. Doyle |
Changes | Warbucks, Annie |
The Other Woman | Orphans |
That's The Kind Of Woman | Drake, Annie, Servants |
A Younger Man | Warbucks |
But You Go On | Mrs. Kelly |
Above The Law (reprise) | Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Kelly |
I Got Me | Annie, Orphans |
Love | Ella, Annie, C.G. |
Somebody's Gotta Do Somethin' | Annie, The Patersons, Roosevelt, Grace, The White House Staff |
Leave It To The Girls | Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Kelly |
All Dolled Up | Orphans, Annie, Warbucks, Roosevelt, The Patersons, Staff |
Tenement Lullaby | Mrs. Kelly |
It Would Have Been Wonderful | Grace |
When You Smile | Warbucks, Annie |
Wedding, Wedding | Company |
I Always Knew | Annie |
SHOW SYNOPSIS ACT I The show begins immediately after Annie ended: Christmas morning, 1933. Scene One: The billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, his servants, his newly
adopted daughter, Annie, and her friends from the Municipal Orphanage are singing the closing bars of the
song A New Deal For Christmas," which ended Annie. Two servants enter with a huge Christmas present
and Sandy jumps out of it, happily reunited with Annie. Oliver Warbucks insists that Annie begin calling
him Daddy and Annie celebrates her new name, Annie Warbucks, by singing "Annie Ain't Just Annie
Anymore." As Daddy Warbucks is settling down to sing some Christmas carols with Annie and the
orphans, his attorney, Simon Whitehead, and several of his accountants appear with business matters he
needs to consider. The children leave and Daddy discusses his income taxes with his visitors. That
conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Harriet Doyle, the Commissioner of the New York City
Department of Child Welfare. Scene Two: In Daddy Warbucks's study, Harriet Doyle reveals the reason for her visit. Since Daddy is not
married, he has broken the law by adopting Annie. Commissioner Doyle has come to return Annie to the
orphanage. She insists that even though he is wealthy and powerful, Warbucks is not "Above The Law."
As her assistant, Miss Clark, prepares to take Annie away, Attorney Whitehead suggests Daddy Warbucks
get married quickly so he can keep Annie. The Commissioner agrees to allow Annie to remain at the
mansion for 60 days to give Daddy time to find a suitable wife. Daddy instructs Grace, who obviously
envisions herself as a possible wife for him, to prepare a list of eligible women. Annie is despondent over
the news she will have to share Daddy Warbucks's affection with a stranger ("Changes"). Warbucks leaves
with Whitehead and Grace to begin the search for the future Mrs. Warbucks. Scene Three: Annie, on the balcony of the mansion, laments the fact that a kid and her father can't make a
family. She reprises "Changes." Scene Four: Back at the Municipal Orphanage, Tessie, one of the orphans, has been returned by a couple
who had thought they wanted to adopt her. Annie arrives and shares her troubles with her friends. She
shows them pictures of the women being considered as a possible wife for Daddy Warbucks and they find
something dreadful about each candidate ("The Other Woman"). Daddy arrives with Dr. Margaret
Whittleby, a child psychologist, who is one of the candidates. Annie leaves to have lunch with Daddy and
Dr. Whittleby as the orphans respond with disdain to the idea of the psychologist as a mother for Annie. Scene Five: A month later, Commissioner Doyle is checking up on Warbucks's progress. After
interviewing 100 candidates, he still has no fiancée. Mrs. Kelly suddenly appears on the scene; she is
introduced as an employee of Commissioner Doyle. Warbucks is taken by her manner. He gives her taxi
money. Mrs. Kelly calls Annie "punkin" and says endearing things to her. Annie overhears Grace talking
on the phone to a member of President Roosevelt's staff, who is offering her a job in Washington. Grace
tells Annie that Warbucks's marriage plans have caused her to think she will have no place in the new
scheme of things. She insists that Annie is mistaken when the child claims that Daddy should marry her.
Grace leaves and Annie plots with the servants to convince Daddy to marry Grace. Scene Six: For Annie's sake, the servants decide to risk their positions by commenting on Daddy
Warbucks's marriage plans ("That's The Kind of Woman"). They advance the idea of Grace as the perfect
wife. When they are through, Grace assures Daddy Warbucks that she had nothing to do with their efforts.
Commissioner Doyle insists Grace is not mature enough to be considered as acceptable by her office.
Grace reveals her plan to leave for Washington, which Commissioner Doyle encourages, as Warbucks
tries to convince her to stay. After everyone leaves, Annie confesses that she put the servants up to
supporting the idea of Grace. Daddy confesses he does care about Grace but knows she thinks he is too
old for him ("A Younger Man"). Annie fails to convince him to tell Grace of his feelings. Scene Seven: Daddy Warbucks goes to Commissioner Doyle's office to sign papers related to his
agreement to find a wife within 60 days. There, he once again encounters Mrs. Kelly, who assists him with
the paperwork and thanks him for his kindness in giving her cab fare. He learns that she is from his old
neighborhood - Hell's Kitchen - and Annie observes that he is very taken by her. Annie tries to distract
him, but Mrs. Kelly tells Warbucks about her hard early life ("But You Go On"). During the song, she
reveals that she is divorced and that her child has died. Commissioner Doyle appears and chastises her for
socializing on the job. Warbucks demands that she be added to his list of eligible women as the
Commissioner loudly objects. A phone call from England about a business matter causes Warbucks to
leave the office abruptly with his entourage. Left alone, Commissioner Doyle congratulates Mrs. Kelly
(Sheila) on her success. We learn they are mother and daughter. Mrs. Kelly has previously served eight
years in jail for killing an "old geezer" with arsenic. They vow not to get caught this time as they sing that
they're "Above The Law." Scene Eight: Daddy Warbucks prepares to go to England to deal with a financial crisis. He tells Grace to
tell Commissioner Doyle that upon his return he will marry one of the women he's already met. He signs
the marriage license papers at the urging of Whitehead so he can proceed with the engagement and
wedding quickly when he gets back from England. When Daddy Warbucks asks Grace to help him
decorate for his new wife, she decides she has to leave for Washington at once. Annie is distressed to learn
of her planned departure. Commissioner Doyle comes in and Annie begs her to approve of Grace as
Daddy's wife. She refuses and threatens to return Annie to the orphanage. Annie tells the orphans who are
visiting her that she is going to run away. Her father is too busy to pay attention to her, Grace is leaving
and she feels as if the whole situation is her fault. She says she plans to go "out west." She says she has
herself to depend on-that will have to be enough ("I Got Me"). She gets Sandy and runs out. Daddy
Warbucks learns about Annie's having run away and Grace's departure for the White House. He cancels
his important travel plans and calls the White House for help. Scene Nine: Annie and Sandy are in a Pennsylvania Railroad train yard. They hop on a freight train with
the help of two hobos. Annie reprises "I Got Me" as the train rolls into the night. Act Two Scene One: It is six weeks later. Annie is sitting on a box in the yard of a Tennessee sharecropper's home.
A weather-beaten fence with a mailbox, a few crates and some burlap are seen in the shadowy twilight.
Annie is eating from a bowl as she is watched by Ella and Reverend Alvin Paterson and C.G., their
ten-year-old daughter. Annie and Sandy found refuge in the Paterson house when she was being chased by
railroad police. Annie lies, telling the Patersons her name is Ruby Keeler. Mr. Stanley, the mill owner,
arrives and offers Alvin a day of work at the mill for five cents an hour. He asks who Annie is and the
Patersons claim that Annie is Alvin's niece. The Patersons explain to Annie that the Tennessee River is the
source of many of the area's economic woes because it floods in the spring and dries up in the summer.
Annie tells Ella and C.G. she ran away because her father was getting married again and didn't want her.
She thinks she did him a favor by getting out of his life. Ella says Annie doesn't understand "Love." She
tells Annie you have to "open, open wide - there's a lot of room inside for love." Annie decides to go
home and accepts the Paterson faimly's offer to take her back to New York. She says they can collect the
reward money. She reveals her real identity and they realize that they have heard about her on the radio.
They think the reward is $100. Scene Two: At the White House, national policy is at a standstill as the search for Annie goes on. Senator
Vandenberg accuses the President of failing to end the Depression because of the preoccupation with
Annie. The President responds that he believes the White House staff has the heart, brains and dedication
to both end the Depression and find a lost little girl. The Patersons appear with Annie and are shocked to
find out that the reward is actually $100,000. While at the White House, the Patersons take advantage of
the opportunity to tell the President their concerns about the Tennessee River ("Somebody's Got To Do
Something"). At the conclusion of their appeal, the idea to create the Tennessee Valley Authority has been
born. Sheila Kelly (alias Florence) tells her mother (Commissioner Doyle) that the involvement of the
White House and the FBI scares her. She wants to end their scheme. Her mother convinces her to
continue and they discuss their plot, which includes getting rid of everyone from Daddy and Annie to
Grace and the servants ("Leave It To The Girls"). Grace overhears Commissioner Doyle refer to Mrs.
Kelly as Florence and becomes suspicious. Scene Three: On board the Staten Island Ferry celebrating Annie's return, the orphans are singing "All
Dolled Up." They are joined by President Roosevelt, the Patersons, Annie, Daddy Warbucks, Attorney
Whitehead and Mrs. Kelly. Warbucks and Mrs. Kelly waltz romantically together and then include Annie
in their dance. The Patersons report that they have invested their reward money in Warbucks's stock. Mrs.
Kelly sings a lullaby to Annie. The song she sings happens to be the lullaby Daddy Warbucks's mother
used to sing to him. (He has forgotten he mentioned that to Commissioner Doyle.) When Commissioner
Doyle reminds him he is now violating his agreement to marry within 60 days, he quickly proposes to Mrs.
Kelly. The wedding is set for Wednesday and Mrs. Kelly leaves the party. Daddy Warbucks and Grace are
left alone. She wishes him happiness and goes inside to have dinner with Annie and his guests. Alone,
Grace sings "It Would Have Been Wonderful." Scene Four: A suite in the Waldorf-Astoria looks like the set an Astaire-Rogers movie. Everyone is
preparing for the wedding and Daddy tries to reassure Annie they will be happy with Mrs. Kelly ("When
You Smile"). Scene Five: The ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. As the orphans march in the wedding procession they
sing "Wedding, Wedding." As Reverend Paterson is about to declare Daddy Warbucks and Mrs. Kelly
husband and wife, a cablegram arrives announcing Warbucks is ruined. Mrs. Kelly starts to run out, but is
stopped by Grace who reveals Mrs. Kelly's true identity. Sheila Kelly and Commissioner Doyle in turn
reveal that Attorney Whitehead was behind the entire plot to get Mrs. Kelly married to Warbucks so she
could kill him and take his money. Whitehead resented the fact that Warbucks, a Tenth Avenue Shanty
Irish, should have more money than he did himself, since he was born into one of the oldest families in
Boston and attended Harvard. Annie then reveals the cablegram was a fake sent by Grace who wanted to
have the chance to see if Mrs. Kelly really loved Warbucks. Warbucks learns he is still rich and now
doesn't have to get married. However, he decides that he is not so old after all and finally asks Grace to
marry him. They decide to adopt all the orphans and the wedding proceeds. Annie tells Molly she always
knew the ending would be happy ("I Always Knew").