5 Need-To-Know-Facts Before Watching NBC's Annie LIVE!
December 1, 2021
Annie has been beloved by millions of people around the world. It was first premiered on Broadway in 1977 winning seven Tony Awards. In 1982, it was made into a movie starring the adorable and talented Aileen Queen along with legendary Carol Burnett and Broadway superstar Bernadette Peters (among many others!). Later, in 1999, the movie was remade featuring a star-studded cast featuring Kathy bates and in 2014 featuring Quvenzhane Wallis (who was the first black Annie) and Jamie Fox, Rihanna, Cameron Diaz, etc. Now, it will be presented via live television for the first time on NBC on December 2nd, 2021 @ 8/7c.
Scroll below to see a sneak peek of the musical and find out the 5 Need-To-Know Facts you need to know before tuning in...
1) In 2013, NBC presented its first live musical, Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood with the hopes of giving viewers from all over the world the experience of seeing a musical performed live in the comfort of their homes. The results? 18.62 million viewers tuned in bring the network its highest Thursday night viewership for an entertainment program since the series finale of Frasier in 2004. After such a success, they thought, hey, we should make this a "thing"!
2) This remake of the iconic musical will feature songs that was in the original Broadway show. Why is this significant? Because the previous movie remakes took some of these out and they have never been televised before! The crew at NBC felt it necessary to go back to the original score to pay tribute to its history. We love that!
3) Celina Smith will be starring as Annie in NBC's Annie Live! 12-years old, Celina has already had quite the career. She played Rebeca on Nickelodeon's "Tyler Perry's Young Dylan '' and played Young Nala in the touring company of "The Lion King." If you want to hear her sing, check out her cover of Billie Eilish's - My Future on her Youtube channel!
4) Annie LIVE! will be broadcasted live from the Gold Coast Studios in New York City. Other shows that have been filmed in this studio include, America's Got Talent, Spider-man 3, Ocean's 8, John Wick 2, Pan Am, among many more!
5) Emmy winner, Neil Meron, producer of every musical that has aired on NBC since The Sound of Music Live! premiered in 2013, will executive produce the event with Robert Greenblatt. Neil was also the producer of the 2002 film Chicago and the 2007 film Hairspray and Robert developed the 2009 musical stage adaptation of 9 to 5 and was nominated for four Tony Awards. "It is a musical about hope and optimism, and it couldn't come at a better time," says Meron. So get ready for an amazing show!!
Make sure to grab your popcorn and your loved ones for this special premiere of Annie Live! on NBC @ 8/7c. One of our favorite aspects of the show is that nothing has been pre-shot! It's entirely live so that both the audience and cast experience the same rush that you would get at a in-person Broadway theater. We can't wait to hear what you think about the show!
To find out more about the other exciting premiere coming up (WEST SIDE STORY!), click HERE!