Meehan researched by rereading prints of the comic strip, but was unable to find any satisfactory material for a musical other than the characters of Annie, Oliver Warbucks, and Sandy, so he decided to write his own story. The musical's songs ' Tomorrow' and ' It's the Hard Knock Life' are among its most popular musical numbers.Ĭharnin first approached Meehan to write the book of a musical about Little Orphan Annie in 1972. It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan.
