ANNIE Runs At PPAC 5/1-5/3

Called one of America's most beloved musicals, Annie is back in a 30th anniversary tour, giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie will be coming to the Providence Performing Arts Center for five performances from May 1 - 3, 2009

Performances times for Annie are as follows: Friday, May 1 at 8:00P; Saturday, May 2 at 2:00P and 8:00P; and Sunday, May 3 at 1:00P and 6:30P. Ticket prices for Annie are $60, $55, $53, $48, $43, $38, and $33; all ticket prices include a $3 per ticket restoration charge. Patrons may purchase tickets at the PPAC Box Office window at 220 Weybosset St. in downtown Providence, and by phone at (401) 421-ARTS on Monday - Friday, 10A - 5P, and Saturdays 10A - 2P; patrons may purchase tickets online at www.ppacri.org any time. Discounted admission is available for groups of 20 or more; for more information, email Paul Hiatt at phiatt@ppacri.org or call (401) 574-3162.

The Chicago Tribune calls Annie "one of the best musical ever," and the Chicago Sun-Times says, "Ageless Annie as engaging as ever." Annie, with music by Charles Strouse and book by Thomas Meehan, is again directed by its lyricist, Martin Charnin, who brought the original production of Annie to Broadway in 1977. Tony Award winning set designer, Ming Cho Lee, has created a fresh look for this new production.

The original Broadway production of Annie won seven 1977 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Book and Score. It ran for 2,377 performances, and has subsequently been produced all over the world. The original production is one of the top 20 longest running shows in Broadway history, and Annie continues to be one of the most successful musicals ever. Annie boasts one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C.," and the ever optimistic "Tomorrow."

In addition to Charnin, Meehan, Strouse and Lee, Annie's creative team includes original Broadway musical staging by Peter Gennaro, choreography by Liza Gennaro, lighting design by Ken Billington, costume design by Theoni Aldridge and sound design by Peter Hylenski. Annie is being produced by NETworks Presentations, LLC. For more information, visit www.Annieontour.com.

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The Providence Performing Arts Center is a historic theatre building, opened in October 1928 and now celebrating its 80th Anniversary. It was originally a Loew's movie palace and over the years, it has had various name changes until it was renamed the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in 1982. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, PPAC currently presents top-flight touring Broadway productions, family shows, concerts, and more.

Log on to www.ppacri.org for more information on the 2008/2009 season.

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