Annie The Musical
Princess Theatre From July 2025
Producer John Frost for Crossroads Live announced that the national Charity Partner for the ever-popular Broadway musical Annie will be the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the non-government, community-based charity that works to prevent cruelty to animals.
Annie will provide tickets to attend a performance of the show to each of the top five walkers who raise the most amount of funds in the Sydney and Melbourne Million Paws Walks. Bucket collections will also be conducted after selected weekend performances in each city to raise money for this worthy charity, as well as other fundraising benefits.
“I’m very pleased that Annie will be working with the RSPCA as our national charity partner. It’s an ideal synergy, and Sandy thinks it’s paw-fect too!” said John Frost. “Annie is a perennial favourite for the whole family to enjoy, so line up now to buy your tickets and support the RSPCA. Don’t wait until Tomorrow!”
“RSPCA NSW is so grateful to be the recipient of Annie the Musical’s generosity and support,” said RSPCA NSW Corporate Philanthropy Specialist, Christine Savanah. “The storyline of Annie highlights the unconditional love, friendship, and loyalty that animal companions bring to our lives. Just like Annie’s dog, Sandy, RSPCA animals know all too well the power of second chances, and we are excited that audiences will get to experience first-hand how special the human-animal bond can be.” 
Kate Kasby, Events and Community Fundraising Manager at RSPCA Victoria, added, “We are very excited for Annie the Musical to arrive in Melbourne, and we are delighted to be their official charity partner. Annie and Sandy’s story is a great reminder of why our pets are so important and how they make our lives better.”
Due to popular demand, new performances have been added for the Melbourne season of Annie. Performances up until 31 August have been released for pre-sale from today, with General Public sales from Friday 20 February.
The stellar cast for Annie features Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, the role he has played twice before across Australia to great acclaim and in which he made his Broadway debut, alongside Debora Krizak in the role of Miss Hannigan. Rising star Mackenzie Dunn will play Lily St. Regis and Keanu Gonzalez will step into the dancing shoes of “Rooster” Hannigan. Amanda Lea LaVergne will be Grace Farrell, while the original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page debuts in his first musical theatre role as President Franklin D Roosevelt.
One of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time, with its iconic score featuring classics like It’s the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street and Tomorrow, Annie is truly a timeless masterpiece, with a book and score written by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin.
Based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” which debuted in 1924 and ran for over 80 years, the musical Annie burst into popularity in 1977 when it opened on Broadway. The musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, and the Grammy® for Best Cast Show Album. After the Broadway run of almost six years, it has played in more than 22 countries worldwide including the UK, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Australia. Annie became a smash-hit movie musical in 1982 starring Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney and Carol Burnett that is adored worldwide and a fixture of popular culture references.
A celebration of hope, family and friendship. This small but mighty young girl has returned to stick out her chin and grin once more!
