Whoopi Goldberg Enters Her Villain Era During Delicious Debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie

Whoopi Goldberg may have worried she was “rusty” after years away from the stage, but her performance as Miss Hannigan in New York Annie the national tour shines like the top of the Chrysler building.

Legendary actress and View host, 69, made her long-awaited return to the stage on Wednesday, December 11 in a production of the classic musical now playing at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. And it was a welcome return, with the crowd giving her a thunderous applause when she entered and leaping to their feet during the curtain call to sing her praises.

Of course, such a response is to be expected for a celebrity of Goldberg’s caliber. But in this case, she earned every cheer and every second of applause with what could easily be described as a comedy masterclass.

Embracing every moment, Goldberg laughs as Miss Hannigan despite who she is Annieis very bad. With a bottle of booze in hand and a whistle around her neck, she plays the orphanage owner like a drunken drill sergeant, barking out orders with slurred speech and a wobbly attitude.

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Whoopi Goldberg in ‘Annie’ at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.

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That’s part of the plan the late Dorothy Loudon laid out when she created the role of Miss Hannigan in the original Broadway production in 1977 (and won a Tony Award for it). And it’s something countless actresses have followed suit in stepping into the role, including Carol Burnett (in the 1982 film), Katie Finneran and Jane Lynch (both in the 2012 Broadway revival), and Taraji P. Henson (in NBC’s the movie Annie live! in 2021), to name just a few.

But Goldberg, with his perfect timing, takes things up a notch and finds new moments for Miss Hannigan to steal the spotlight. She moves with ease with the character’s many mood swings – bitter, sassy, ​​sweet, sarcastic, flirtatious, funny – sometimes so quickly that the center elicits its own laugh. And inside Annie‘s climax, delivers one of the show’s biggest comedic moments with Mark Woodard’s offhand remark about FDR.

In the musical numbers Goldberg is equally excellent. She doesn’t miss a single note and packs a punch in “Little Girls” that makes the favorite track even more delicious. And when she teams up with Rhett Guter (as Rooster) and Isabella De Souza Moore (as Lily St. Regis) for the delightful “Easy Street,” she nails the choreography, those moves bringing hilarious new layers to Miss Hannigan’s wickedness.

Whoopi Goldberg (center) in ‘Annie’ at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, with Isabella De Souza Moore (left) as ‘Lily St. Regis’ and Rhett Guter as ‘Rooster’.

Matt Murphy

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Even Goldberg’s View the co-hosts boasted about her work after the opening.

“Whoopi has a real gift,” Sunny Hostin said on the Thursday, Dec. 12, episode of the show. “There’s a reason she’s EGOT, right? And there’s something I see—a glow around the truly gifted, the blessed, the anointed in a certain thing—and that’s what I saw.”

“I have to give it to you, she was great. Great,” cheered Joy Behar. “She sings, she dances… I just thought you were gorgeous. And to see your legs! … How many years have we been together? Seventeen? Well, I’ve never seen those legs!”

Aside from the thrill of seeing Goldberg’s lower limbs, the actress’ performance was notable for several reasons. For one thing, it comes 40 years after the 1984 debut of her Broadway play of the same name, which effectively launched her career in Hollywood. On the other hand, it’s the first time Goldberg has had a starring role on the New York stage since her brief run in 2008. Xanadu.

Mostly though Annie is the first real moment where Goldberg was cast as a villain. “I keep trying to get people to make monsters out of me [and] villains, and people are like ‘no,'” Goldberg told PEOPLE in November, as she shared her excitement about sinking her teeth into the role. “So you have people saying, ‘Well, we’re not going to listen to anybody else and we’ll offer you this role.’ ”

The experience was influential for Goldberg, who said View audience that while she loves being on ABC’s daytime series, she is “first and foremost an actor.”

Goldberg said, “The older I get, the more I think I want to kind of get back into it.”

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Annie is one of the most acclaimed musicals of all time. Based on the comic from 1924 Poor little Annie By Harold Gray, the story follows a young orphan desperate to find her parents whose world is turned upside down when she is chosen to spend the holidays with billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks.

Adapted for the stage by book writer Thomas Meehan, the musical features a score by Charles Strouse (music) and Martin Charnin (lyrics) that have become musical theater staples, including “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Maybe,” NYC ,” ” You’re never fully dressed without a smile” and, of course, “Tomorrow.”

This production was directed by Jenn Thompson, an original Broadway cast member.

Whoopi Goldberg in ‘Annie’ at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.

Matt Murphy

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Hazel Vogel leads the production in the title role. She is joined by Christopher Swan (as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks) and Julia Nicole Hunter (as Grace).

Also on the tour are Aria Valentina Aldea, Eva Lizette Carreon, Anna Dillon, Kylie Noelle Patterson, Olive Ross-Kline, Nora West, Stephen Cerf, Anthony DaSilva, Savannah Fisher, Alloria Frayser, Brooke Olivia Gatto, Caroline Glazier, Ryan Mulvaney, Joel Newsome, Melinda Parrett, Lawrence E. Street, Drew Tanabe, and Stephanie Wahl.

Labradoodle Kevin will play Annie’s dog Sandy, Stefanie Londino will play Miss Hannigan on tours outside of New York engagements, and Avril Kagan is a swing for New York shows only.

Tickets for Annie they are on sale now. Goldberg’s performance continues through January 5, 2025 before the tour moves on to further stops in Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Francisco and other locations.

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Source: HIS Education