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.

Quirky and thought provoking, this play brings into question the meaning of family and belonging.

About the writers:

While working in a nursing home as hospice social worker in 2015, Caroline Helm Huval, a lifelong fan of the 1982 movie Annie, had a vision of the nursing home residents dancing to “It’s a HardKnock Life.” The idea simmered in the back of her mind.

When she partnered with performance artist and theater professor Dr. Bonny McDonald in 2021 to co-write the musical, the show took off. The team grew to include songwriters Johanna Divine and Chas Justus along with director Christy Leichty.

With the help of many friends and artists who gathered to read drafts the script, “Ms. Warbucks” is finally ready to take the stage.

Huval auditioned for the part of “Annie” in her high school’s musical and didn’t get the part… but that has absolutely nothing to do with this project.