ANNIE WARBUCKS
Book by Thomas Meehan. Music by Charles Strouse. Lyrics by Martin
Charnin Based on LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE® by permission of Tribune Media Services
Inc
Produced in Workshop by Goodspeed Opera House, Michael P. Price,
Executive Producer
Produced at the Marriot Lincolnshire Theatre by Kary Walker, Executive
Producer
Developed in co-operation with members of the National Alliance for
Musical Theatre
Story
ACT I
The show begins immediately after Annie ended: Christmas morning,
1933.
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.
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.
Annie, on the balcony of the mansion, laments the fact that a kid and
her father can't make a family. She reprises "Changes."
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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
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.
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.
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."
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").
MUSICAL SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
ACT I
Scene 1: The living room of the Warbucks mansion - Christmas
morning, 1933.
Scene 2: Warbucks' study. A moment later.
Scene 3: The balcony outside Warbucks' study. Immediately
after.
Scene 4: The orphanage in downtown Manhattan. Two weeks
later.
Scene 5: The breakfast room of the Warbucks' mansion.
A month later.
Scene 6: The kitchen of the Warbucks' mansion. Moments
later.
Scene 7: Commissioner Doyle's office, the NYC Department
of Child Welfare. The following Thursday morning.
Scene 8: The front hallway of the Warbucks' mansion.
An hour later.
Scene 9: The Pennsylvania Railroad yards. Later that
night.
ACT II
Scene 1: A sharecropper's cabin in rural Tennessee.
Six weeks later. April 1934.
Scene 2: The White House Communications Office, Washington,
D.C. Late afternoon of the following day.
Scene 3: The top deck of the Staten Island Ferry. The
following Saturday night.
Scene 4: An art deco suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
The following Wednesday evening, shortly before 7 pm.
Scene 5: A Ballroom in the Waldorf-Astoria. An instant
later.
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