Composers Martin Charnin and Charles Strouse present four of the Broadway stars of "Annie"-- Andrea McArdle, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shelley Bruce and Allison Smith--in this rare TV performance from 1982.
Andrea really set the bar for that role. Before she was hired, Annie was played by Kristen Vigard who later played Morgan on the Guiding light. Apparently she read as too sweet and not tough enough to be Annie.
I know that she married in 1988 and had a little girl, Alexis Kalehoff. for a while I would imagine she concentrated on raising her daughter. She did do various specials and "Rainbow." Several years ago she started doing musicals again. I know she played Sally Bowles in Cabaret and she played Miss Hannigan in a revival production of Annie. She also did a night club act too at one time.
Andrea McArdle's voice has that unusual bright, 'plucky', Disney kind of voice that can bring a tear to your eyes because it's so unusual. The tones are just perfect..
@@michaelleary9233 I thought I was the only person in the world who ever wondered that. Kate and Allie was a New York production and everyone involved including the creator came from the New York show business world. With Andrea being as well-known as she was in the New York scene, and McArdle not being a very common name, it’s not a stretch to imagine that might be where the name came from.
@@EastSide-qc5oy Yeah, I've noticed they do the same thing on Law & Order, a lot of the characters are named after the writers, producers, etc., it's almost like a big family.
@@jenniferbloh-michael8662 Well, she didn’t become that from singing. She could act for a camera though, in certain kinds of specific roles. Allison Smith has had success on television as well, but didn't get a Sex & The City type of starring vehicle.
I agree she's seems like she's in awe of her performance. I heard rumors she was hard to work with (Allison) but I don't think that's true or Martin wouldn't have had her in the role so long.
As she should. And there isn’t the same degree of orchestra in the other songs. Andrea known, even then, as the most beloved Annie, her voice is leagues apart from the others, and so she was given the lead song in the musical. It’s the Finale. It was written with more complicated orchestral parts because it’s THE song. Maybe has very little going on. It’s a silly comment, really, if you know the musical and the score. That song is super hard to sing and she sings it effortlessly in her extra special voice. Even today, Andrea is featured. She IS Annie. She is the OG OG!!!
Higher octave and more powerful voice that could possibly drown out the music. Also, more instruments needed for her number perhaps? Just a thought. 😊✌️
I cannot fathom how many times I played my Annie record listening to Andrea sing. I saw her on Broadway as Annie and wrote her a “fan” letter. She wrote back, sending me an autographed photo. I was thrilled! Her voice remains amazing.
I gotta say, I think this is the best McArdle's ever sounded singing this song. Every note sounds crystal clear, her belts are clean as hell, and the choices she makes with the melody are really nice!
There is something so special about Andrea McArdle. She has the most amazing presence and a voice that just effortlessly pours out of her. She has done other Broadway musicals well suited to her voice: the lead roles in Beauty and the Beast, Annie Get Your Gun, and Les Miserables (as Fantine.) But she also seems to stay under the public's radar a lot. How I would love to see her perform in person!
I love this. Shelley sings the best song, Andrea blows them all away vocally, BUT Sarah has the most STAR quality. She charms. Still Andrea is the golden one. What a talent. Unmatched.
I liked Shelley Bruce a lot. There’s a purity and hopeful longing in her voice that really shine. Andrea McArdle is a powerhouse and seems like a genuinely good person in real life. I saw her genuineness and kindness when she did interviews. Andrea also has given great encouragement to Annies after her. Tremendous respect for her!
I will always loved how Andrea stood up for Joanna (who was suppose to play annie in the 20th Anniversary) when the producers fired for Joanna. She publicly called them out and boycotted the show along with other Annies and even references it when they did the 30th anniversary by saying that no matter who the Annie was to remember that "No 8 year old can be put up against a 12 year old."
Shelly Bruce started singing and I was so taken by how effortlessly she hit those notes. Then Andrea came on and belted tomorrow louder than the brass section. #impressed
its super underrated how difficult this role is. you really have to carry the whole production and be on stage almost all night. and its not traditionally broken up like matilda.
"...super underrated..."? That doesn't even make sense. Anyone who has seen this play, or even knows the story line, is more than aware that "Annie" carries the entire show, hence the titular title, ANNIE.
Andrea's voice is literally spine-tingling! And even though I think they lowered the key a little for her more mature voice here, she still nailed those loud high notes! What a phenomenal singer! 🧡
The third Annie, wow. These girls are all phenomenal as are the many many other Annies that have come and gone but her voice is just wow. I'm speechless...
I was just able to preform at a gala with Andrea McArdle and it was amazing. She’s so talented and nice. She’s such and inspiration and I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to do this.
Wow. Andrea is magical. No wonder people think of her when they think if Annie. She’s just incredible. Brings me to tears. I had the musical album with Andrea as a kid and I was in AWE. What a vocalist. Brava! I was the same age as Aileen when the film came out and I thought, oh no, I’m not going to like it! I was so scared because I’m a little girl singing to Andrea McCartle over and overcast again. I dreamed of being an orphan. Almost auditioned...But I do love the movie as well and Aileen is like a little Shirley Temple. Loved it, love them all. But Andrea has the most splendid voice. This made me cry!
Andrea gives me such a Wonderful feeling. Her voice is so powerful yet she makes it look Easy. Beautiful performance as usual but i think this version is my favorite so far.
So, did "Annie" make Andrea McArdle or did Andrea McArdle make "Annie"? I think Andrea was a unique talent that made "Annie" a sensation. The other singers are good, but not in the same league. It was McArdle that people rushed to see. "Annie" is a B+ show, but McArdle is an A+.
I gave this a thumbs up for the McArdle comments, but Annie is more than a B+ show; the songs and musical writing in general are extraordinarily. I admit I never saw the show, but I love the music and consider it brilliantly written. Charles Strouse studied with Nadia Boulanger (look up a list of her students); his skills are towering.
Andrea has the greatest voice of the group in my opinion. My teacher was a huge Broadway fan and he used to play this and other songs from the Annie album for us on Friday mornings. Andrea was the first one I ever heard so I'm prejudiced but they were all very talented girls. God bless her wherever she is. The others too. 🙏❤️
I love all of their voices, and it was really cool to see four different versions of Annie. It's clear that they all brought something new and different to the role to make it their own, and I love seeing/hearing that.
Can we just talk about how mature Allison Smith was throughout the entire thing? She didn’t try to ham it up for the camera/audience during Hard Knock Life, she was focused on singing it correctly and giving a good presentation. She was the first clapping for Andrea McArdle, as if she were in awe with admiration. She was late to coming around the piano for a final bow from this. To think she was only 12 or 13 at the time deserves some huge recognition.
If you watch at the beginning you can see she is telling Martin Thank you when he hands her the mic. I love on how so many clips of her when someone hands her the mic she makes sure to tell them thank you. You can tell she was very well brought up.
Marlee Suarez I love how her face was acting out the song. At the start, her face looked annoyed because the song was a song where they were all annoyed and singing about their circumstance.
When I was a child, these girls were my heroes! I had the Annie album, and used to sing along with Andrea McArdle. Andrea still sings beautifully, and performs with smaller shows in the US, and I heard, also abroad. Wonderful talent.
The people fawning over Andrea should remember that she's also older than the other 3 by that time and thus her voice is more mature. She was 19, Sarah Jessica Parker was 17, Shelley Bruce was 17, and Allison Smith was only 13.
She’s also the only one who stood up while singing; not a singer, but I imagine standing is better for singing than sitting. However, I do think Andrea has the strongest voice and ability to project over the others, even when she was younger.
I just noticed, look how far away from her mouth Sarah Jessica Parker holds the mic yet she sounds just as loud as the others. They all sound absolutely amazing however the vocal projection Sarah Jessica parker has is quite impressive. I understand it's got to do with their style of singing how close they hold the mic but I find that really impressive.
Close mic picks up low frequencies far mic picks up the high frequencies. If you want your voice to sound like a pre teen, it helps to pull the mic away.
These are such beautiful songs performed by such amazingly talented girls. Brings tears to my eyes whenever I listen to them. Such extraordinary melodies.
My parents took me to see Annie when Allison Smith played the lead. My sister and I were obsessed with the original cast album and used to annoy the neighbors because we played it over and over. I begged my parents to let me try out, but my mother refused to take me into the city because I would not practice piano and play a song for my aunt. I don't think I would have gotten very far anyway haha. Great memories!
Heard McArdle just last night at a jazz club in Hollywood, very well attended event. McArdle was in wonderful voice. She was generous with the audience after her performance. Friendly and chatty with all.
I know!!! She made it sound so EFFORTLESS! Which shows what a talent she is, and I can’t imagine she’s more than a teenager here. Incredible. I would pay to see her performance as a child in that role!
I grew up with the film to Annie. It's a huge part of my childhood and sometimes not so fondly remember how overplayed Tomorrow was played, sung, and frequently mocked. But until this moment in 2021 and hearing Andrea sing it, I never really listened to and heard the song. It's not the blindly optimistic kid butchering song everyone thinks it is. It is a beautiful, powerful, life affirming message that says "Yes things are bad. We can't ignore it, but sleep on it and don't lose hope that things will get better." I understand it now.
You can never take that certain character out of your life. Andrea Mcardle is The only Annie and the character can never leave her. Notice when she's singing Tomorrow how see bangs her arms down to the sides at certain points showing that Andrea and Annie are and always will be the same person. If you did nit get a lump in your throat as Andrea was singing this you just dont have any heart.
What a gem of a video. Thanks so much for posting. Brings back so many memories as I used to go see Annie all the time when I was a teenager. I was there for Shelley Bruce's final performance when Martin came out on stage after the show to introduce SJP as the next Annie and said she was on her way to get her hair cut and dyed for the role. Nobody will ever come close to Andrea's phenomenal vocal performance in this role. Sorry. Nobody!! And every single one that followed in her footsteps was influenced by how she sang it! And though some may have been phenomenal in the role, in 40 years none have sung it as well.
Andrea was ANNIE. None had her vocal chops. She sang NYC in the 1999 Disney version. Still got it. Wished she had done more and won a Tony. She’s my stage hero.
I think she was wearing a wig here, she was recovering from chemotherapy. Shelley originally had waist-length dark brown hair when she started playing the orphan Kate in 1977.
This is how you can tell that Andrea set the stage for Annie and remains "THE DEFINITIVE ANNIE" look at the other three Annie's as they watch knowing the voice,actions and the whole package when Andrea starts singing that this the only real Annie.😊
