PLAYBILL PICKS: A Dozen Actresses We'd Like to See Play Miss Hannigan in the Broadway Revival of Annie

//assets.playbill.com/editorial/478d76186d50a9a3c8d0481caa887612-louson200.jpg — Dorothy Loudon Photo by Martha Swope

Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle originated the title role in the premiere Broadway production of Annie and was able to learn from the best, playing opposite Loudon eight times a week. McArdle has also gotten the chance to play Miss Hannigan in a few regional productions, and it would be a great full-circle Broadway moment to have her back in the musical's revival.

Rosie O'Donnell

O'Donnell, who has gotten a chance to strut her stuff in the Broadway revivals of Grease and Fiddler on the Roof, has publicly expressed interest in the part, and as anyone who's watched either of her talk shows knows, there is no Broadway champion like her.

Betty Buckley


	Miss Hannigan is an angel compared to Margaret White, the mother of Carrie, who Buckley played with intensity in the original production of the cult-classic musical. And, then there's that singular voice. One can almost hear the Tony winner belting out "Easy Street."

Kristin Chenoweth


	We know she's busy with her new series "GCB," but Chenoweth, who manages to score laughs even when there are none, would simply be a hoot as Miss Hannigan. Anyone who's watched her performances on "Glee" knows she can play a drunk to perfection.

Beth Leavel


	Leavel won her Tony for her humorous performance in the title role of The Drowsy Chaperone, and, more recently, even managed to come off well in the short-lived Baby It's You! She would no doubt wring out every bit of humor in "Little Girls."

Lillias White


	White won her Tony for playing the been-around-the-block prostitute Sonja in Cy Coleman's The Life, and she could no doubt infuse Miss Hannigan with the same world-weariness. The gospel-voiced actress would also sing the Martin Charnin- Charles Strouse score thrillingly.

Andrea Martin


	Is there any actress funnier than Andrea Martin? With just a glance, she can send audiences into convulsions of laughter, so she would undoubtedly draw laugh after laugh from the Thomas Meehan book. Just imagining the faces she would make during "Little Girls" gets us laughing already.

Elaine Paige


	West End star Paige, who stopped the show each night in the recent revival of Follies, was a comical, sinister Mrs. Lovett in the New York City Opera production of Sweeney Todd, and she could bring similar qualities to the evil Miss Hannigan. Paige is simply great fun to watch on stage, and her powerhouse vocals would be another asset for the revival.

Jane Lynch


	With all the screaming and scheming that Sue Sylvester, Lynch's character in the mammoth hit "Glee," does over at McKinley High, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for her to plot against Annie and her gang of orphans in 1930s NYC. Also, a recent TV commercial featured Lynch bursting into a Nook-inspired musical number in Barnes and Noble. Clearly, she has the vocal chops.

Tyne Daly


	Daly offered winning performances in her two major New York musical theatre outings: the 1989 Broadway revival of Gypsy and the City Center Encores! mounting of Call Me Madam. She also recently tore up the stage in the Broadway revival of Master Class, and we'd love to see how she would bring her many talents to the role of Miss Hannigan.

Bernadette Peters

Two-time Tony winner Peters played against type in the 2003 Broadway revival of Gypsy, earning a rave from The New York Times and a Tony nomination for her performance. She was also a terrific Lily St. Regis in the film version of Annie, and Peters, who possesses superb comic timing, would no doubt bring her unique brand of magic to the role of Miss Hannigan.

Patti LuPone

C'mon, who wouldn't want to hear LuPone belt "Little Girls" and "Easy Street" to the rafters while finding all the dramatic and comedic potential in Miss Hannigan?

Christine Ebersole

Like the rest of the gals mentioned, we think Ebersole can play just about any part there is. Her comedic chops combined with that beautiful, soaring voice would make audiences (and us) very happy.

And, let's not forget Donna Murphy and Randy Graff and Ann Harada and Karen Mason and Ellen Greene and Faith Prince.......... and Elaine Stritch -- we'd drink to that!

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