Spotlight Series: Ms. Warbucks the Musical

Leapin’ Lizards! Ever wondered what happened to Little Orphan Annie?

From writers Caroline Helm Huval and Dr. Bonny McDonald and directed by Christy Leichty, Ms. Warbucks is a musical adapted from Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie cartoon.

Annie is all grown up, and we witness her relationship with former orphanage director, Ms. Agatha who is in a nursing home. She goes by “Ms. Warbucks” now.

She’s thirty-nine, single, and still the spunky rabble-rouser we all know and love. Every Thursday, she visits her former orphanage director who lives in a nursing home.

In this setting, Annie recognizes the same struggles she faced as a child: institutionalization, abandonment, and above all, a longing for family. The old folks are the orphans now. An activist trying to care for the elderly, Annie faces a corrupt system. To succeed, she must face her own need for love and belonging.