www.broadwaynews.com: The musical “Annie” has proven the test of time. Each decade since its 1977 Broadway bow has seen either a Main Stem revival or multiple national touring companies (or both!). Based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” which was created by Harold Gray and debuted in 1924, the musical is set in 1933 New York City. Annie, a resident of a municipal orphanage, is determined to find her parents, and along the way is entrusted to the care of wealthy industrialist Oliver Warbucks. Despite its Depression-era setting, “Annie” offers a sense of hope amid the most dire of circumstances.
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After reading this article, I was shocked by how many references to historical people or events are in this show. I read this article, and I was like, okay, like there's a lot of these references, and then at the end of that list, it said Act 2, and I was like, there's a whole other list of these like this is insane. I think some of these references were very interesting, like the Babe Ruth one and The Mickey Finn one, but I think other references like Sing Sing are really major historical events, and I find it interesting that art is sort of imitating and utilizing history in a way. I just think it's very interesting how packed this show is with historical references and how powerful art can be when it's given the proper recognition, analysis, and voice like this show. Some of these references are very light-hearted, While other events are very serious, so I think that when people question the importance of Art and theater, this is why theaters are important because it can allow telling stories about what has happened in our history, especially in times like this we need history to not repeat itself.
Little historical fun facts like these are so interesting to me so when I saw this article, I immediately clicked on it. I feel like this should be the most basic thing, but honestly, I didn’t know until I read the first paragraph that the musical was based on a comic strip. This is just interesting to me because I thought it would’ve been based on a book or something, not a comic strip— and that just seems like a very unique and funny basis for a musical! I understood a lot of these references, but I was also surprised by a few of these and learned some new things too! One of the most interesting to me honestly was the airline refueling one this is obviously used kind of as a comedic choke in this sense when Warbucks says his flight “only had to land eight times” but it’s very interesting that back in the 1930s, when Annie takes place, that airplanes really did have to land and retake-off for fuel that frequently. One scene in Annie that always got me, especially in the movie, was the scene where Warbucks takes Annie down to the movie theater. It was interesting to read in the article as it, the Roxy, was an actual very popular movie theater during the time, which I never knew that it was actually based on a real place. Another thing that was interesting to me was the two references that the article mentioned in “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”. I, of course, loved this song as a child, and I am finding it interesting that actually the two historical references mentioned here, Beau Brummell and Saville Road, are actually British. That is something I never knew and it’s just a fun little fact. I love how you can see how many like references of the time went into Annie because this list is so extensive, and there’s probably obviously many more in the musical as well that you just don’t even notice, all the people who are mentioned and timely events. That’s really cool and I really love a musical that has all these cultural references in it even if I don’t understand them all.
I had no idea Annie was filled with so many historical references. I always thought it was just a cute story about a little orphan, but it is actually packed with so many nods to the 1930s. I think the last time I saw Annie was when my sister was in the show 14 years ago, and even though I don't remember much, this article helped remind me about how much depth is actually in this show; for example, when Annie ends up in Hooverville, it is not just a random shantytown. I had no idea it was a reference to the camps built by unhoused people during the Great Depression, which was then named to mock Herbert Hoover. There are so many cool little details, like Warbucks chatting with real historical figures like J. Edgar Hoover, or even the mention of places like the ice cream parlor and the Roxy movie theater. I never realized how much Annie blends history with its storyline. It’s really fun to see how the show uses real events and people to make its world feel more real and interesting!
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