ANNIE the Musical on Broadway in NYC

ANNIE the Musical premiered on Broadway in NYC recently, and I was invited to preview the show a couple of weeks ago. I was stoked to attend ANNIE on Broadway as I'd only seen the movie before and wanted to see how they compared - and I was excited to introduce the Kiddo to the songs and story that led to his Aunt Annie being named Aunt Annie.

ANNIE the musical delivered pure enjoyment. The characters I remembered from my childhood embodied the lyrics and era. I remain in awe of the ability of the kid and teen actors to nail their performances and lines both on their own and as the ensemble of orphans. They rocked their comedic timing, physical humor and vocals.

And Sandy! The rescue dogs performed so well, and created aisle-to-aisle smiles throughout the audience when they appeared on stage.

The post-war Depression era setting provided a lot of teaching opportunities throughout the musical. People living in cardboard shanties? Why? Who's Herbert Hoover? Why does Daddy Warbucks live in a mansion? Why do these kids not live at home with their parents?

Of course, the highlight for me was the music. It made me smile while driving home across the GW bridge as my son was singing "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the backseat. He had never heard the song before, and picked up the catchy chorus enough to sing it on the way home unassisted. It was incredibly sweet, and speaks volumes to just how delightful the musical was - even for those not familiar with the characters and story.

There were songs in the musical that I was hearing for the first time: "Thank you Herbert Hoover," and another sung solo by Daddy Warbucks. I was slightly bummed to not hear "We Got Annie" - one of my favorite songs from the movie.

We got Annie

So, back to the Kiddo's Aunt Annie. Annie was the first movie I saw in the movie theater as a kid, and I received the soundtrack soon thereafter. My other sister, Holly, and I played that record over and over on our Fisher-Price record player in the toy room. I'm sure even my dad could recite a few lines from the songs himself he overheard us singing and performing along to the ANNIE movie soundtrack enough, eventhough it was 25 years ago.

So when my parents told Holly and I we were going to get a sister, they let us help pick her name. The list was short, and we ALL agreed on Annie. I can't remember how many times after she was born that we teasingly (and admittedly - straight out earnestly. Hey! We were kids!) danced around singing "We Got Annie!"

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to see Annie the musical on Broadway, and am grateful that I had the chance to take the Kiddo to experience it too, thanks to MamaDrama. I recommend every family visiting NYC for some family holiday fun see Annie on Broadway this season. #AnnieonBroadway #AnnieonBway #MamaDrama