Leapin’ Lizards! All Annie, All the Time - Broadway Bound production has local students in cast

Young actors from across Seattle are currently in rehearsal for Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre’s production of Annie. Performances will run Friday, January 13 through Sunday, January 22 at the Broadway Performance Hall on Capitol Hill. Annie is a well-loved classic musical set in Depression-Era New York City.

Among the actors participating are several students from the Shoreline area

• Anna Ostrem
• siblings Jonah and Simone Beres
• sisters Elizabeth and Madeleine Hickman
• Charlotte Berkman

Broadway Bound is literally brimming with orphans. The fall season includes two incarnations: the full version of Annie and a slightly shortened version, Annie, Jr. Encompassing six casts and including two hundred young actors from age five to sixteen, this fall has truly been all Annie, all the time. 

Broadway Bound will be the last Seattle-area theatre to present Annie before it makes its return to Broadway in late 2012, according to the Musical Theatre International website. Once it returns to Broadway, it will become unavailable to other theatres.

Themes present in Annie are especially poignant in the current social and political climate. Much like today, people in the 1930’s were struggling with unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. These struggles are emphasized in the play in the song entitled “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover.” The citizens of a “Hooverville” (a shanty-town named for Hoover) sarcastically express their appreciation to Herbert Hoover for their current situation.

Annie is supported by a phenomenal production staff. It is directed by Founder and Executive Artistic Director Jimmy Nixon. He is joined by Choreographer Danny Long, Musical Director Katherine Strohmaier, Lighting Designer Jesse Prince, and Scenic Designer Norm Spencer. 

This marks the second production in Broadway Bound’s sixteenth season, which began in December with their remount of 13. The season will continue in February with the presentation of Annie, Jr. and culminate in June with performances of Seussical the Musical and RENT: School Edition.

Tickets to Annie are $17.50 and are available online or by phone at 1-800-838-3006. For more information about Annie and Broadway Bound, visit the website.