Merriam Theater Presents ANNIE

Leapin' Lizards! America's most beloved musical, ANNIE, is back for it's 30th anniversary tour, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie will be coming to the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia for a limited weekend engagement from Feb. 26 - 28.

Tickets range in price from $20 to $70 and can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at (http://www.kimmelcenter.org/), at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Sts. (open daily 10 am to 6 pm), or at the Merriam Theater box office, 250 S. Broad St. (open during performances only). Special group pricing for select performances is available for groups of 15 or more by calling 215-790-5883. Performances include: Friday & Saturday evening at 8:00 pm; Sunday evening at 6:30 pm; and matinees Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm. 

"One of the best musical ever," proclaims the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times says, "Ageless ANNIE as engaging as ever." ANNIE, with music by Charles Strouse and book by Thomas Meehan, is again directed by its lyricist, Martin Charnin, who brought the original production of ANNIE to Broadway in 1977. Tony Award winning set designer, Ming Cho Lee, has created a fresh look for this new production.

The original Broadway production of ANNIE won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book and Score. It ran for 2,377 performances, and has subsequently been produced all over the world. The original production is one of the top 20 longest running shows in Broadway history, and ANNIE continues to be one of the most successful musicals ever. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C." and the ever optimistic " Tomorrow," you can bet your bottom dollar that ANNIE will bring a
smile to your face.

In addition to Charnin, Meehan, Strouse and Lee, ANNIE's creative team includes original Broadway musical staging by Peter Gennaro, choreography by Liza Gennaro, lighting design by Ken Billington, costume design by Theoni Aldridge and sound design by Peter Hylenski. ANNIE is being produced by Networks Presentations, LLC. For more information, visit annieontour.com . The Broadway Series is presented by the Kimmel Center in association with The Shubert Organization and is sponsored by Citibank with support provided by American Airlines.

In addition to ANNIE, 2009-2010 Broadway Series productions at the Academy of Music, Forrest Theatre and Merriam Theatre will include: WICKED (Jan. 6 - 24); RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles (Feb. 2 - 7); Disney's THE LION KING (March 23 - April 24); August:Osage County (April 27 - May 2) at the Forrest Theatre; Avenue Q (June 18 - 20); and Dreamgirls (June 21 - 27). Additional Broadway Series productions at the at the Merriam Theatre include: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Feb. 9 - 14); GROOVALOO:The Hip Hop Experience (March 9 - 14); and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance (May 14- 16).

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