'Annie,' MTC's First And 150th Show, Opens Thursday Night

MOORESTOWN, NJ — When the Moorestown Theater Company (MTC) presented “Annie” as its first show back in 2003, the performances were accompanied by a live orchestra. Fifteen years later, MTC’s 150th performance will revisit that special event.

MTC’s first show is also its 150th, as “Annie” opens on Thursday night, July 19, at Hope Community Church, 235 West Main Street, 7 p.m. Along with a live orchestra, highlights of this production include the following people sharing roles (at selected performances):

• Channel 6 ABC Anchor and Moorestonian Rick Williams as ‘Daddy Warbucks’
• NJ State Senator Troy Singleton as President F.D. Roosevelt’s Cabinet Member ‘Harold Ickes’
• Burl. Co. Reg. Chamber of Commerce Pres./CEO Kristi Howell as Cabinet Member ‘Frances Perkins’
• Moorestown Councilperson Lisa Petriello as Cabinet Member ‘Frances Perkins’
• National Jr. Theater Festival (JTF) All-Star (’18) Lily Sims (11-years-old, Mount Laurel) as ‘Annie’
• National JTF All-Star (’15 & ’17) Juliet Morgan (15, Moorestown), ‘Annie’; she was ‘Infant Annie’ in ‘03
• MTC Managing Director Carol Ann Murray as ‘Miss Hannigan’
• MTC Producing Artistic Director and Annie Director Mark Morgan as ‘Rooster Hannigan’
• Both ‘Roosters’ / ‘Annies’ are played by real-life Fathers / Daughters (Mark / Juliet Morgan & Mike / Lily Sims)

Additionally, MTC Artistic Director Mark Morgan is directing his 100th production for MTC with this show.
In total, a 70-member two-legged and four-legged, all-ages cast will present the full version of the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical. The show features such memorable characters as ‘Annie,’ ‘Daddy Warbucks,’ ‘Grace Farrell,’ ‘Miss Hannigan,’ ‘Rooster Hannigan’ and ‘Lily St. Regis,’ as well as some really cute ‘Orphans’, and such great songs as “Maybe,” “Hard Knock Life,” “Little Girls,” “N.Y.C,” “Easy Street,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed (Without A Smile),” “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” “A New Deal For Christmas,” and (MTC’s ‘Theme Song’) “Tomorrow.”

Mark Pinzur is the vocal director, and Jody Haggerty is the choreographer. The show is double-cast, and show times are as follows:

Black Cast:
Thursday, July 19, 7 p.m.;
Saturday, July 21, 7 p.m.;
Wednesday, July 25, 7 p.m.;
Friday, July 27, 7 p.m.; and
Saturday, July 28, 2 p.m.

Gold Cast:
Friday, July 20, 7 p.m.;
Saturday, July 21, 2 p.m.;
Sunday, July 22, 2 p.m.;
Thursday, July 26, 7 p.m.; and
Saturday, July 28, 7 p.m.

Tickets are $18, plus a $2 fee for adults; and $13, plus a $2 fee for students and seniors. They are reserved, and can be bought at www.MoorestownTheaterCompany.org, or at the door in the lobby 60 minutes before curtain time. The theater will open 30 minutes before each curtain time. Call MTC at 856-778-8357 with any questions or to get group rate information.

The attached image was provided by the Moorestown Theater Company