‘Annie Live!’ Musical Event Gets 2021 Holiday Season Broadcast On NBC

NBC will broadcast the holiday musical event Annie Live!, with Robert Greenblatt as executive producer along with Neil Meron, who has served as executive producer on such NBC’s live musicals The Sound of Music Live! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

Annie Live! will be directed by Lear deBessonet, Artistic Director for New York’s revival series Encores and creator of the Public Works program at the Public Theatre, which produces community-engaged productions with as many as 200 performers.

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Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud, Memphis) will choreograph the production, Paul Tazewell will design the costumes and Jason Sherwood the scenery. Tazewell is a veteran of two NBC live musicals, The Wiz Live! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. He recently designed costumes for film Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. Sherwood was production designer for Rent: Live and the 2020 Oscars.

Greenblatt brought live musicals back to NBC when he was Chairman and is responsible for some of the biggest hits on television over the last two decades, and Meron produced musicals with former partner Craig Zadan including the Oscar-winning Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert and other NBC live musicals.

Alex Rudzinski will take on the role as Live Television Director and Executive Producer as he did with Hairspray Live! and Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. His live musical credits also include Grease Live! and Rent: Live.

The live event is being produced by Chloe Productions, and will be available to stream on Peacock following the broadcast.

Casting was not announced.

Annie, based on the classic comic strip Little Orphan Annie, features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, won seven Tony Awards and includes the now-standard songs “Tomorrow” and “”It’s The Hard Knock Life.” The musical has been adapted for film several times, including in 1982, 1999 and 2014.

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