Monday night 1/11, the Westfield Studio Theatre at Idea Center was filled with lyrical magic as Martin Charnin, the director and lyricist of the original 1977 production of Annie on Broadway, took the stage in a taping of Footlight Parade, with host extraordinaire Bill Rudman.
It was a magical evening, as the topic centered on Mr. Charnin presenting his Top 10 List of Lyrics that he has created over his storied career, which by the way, has no signs of stopping. Especially, since Charnin’s Annie is now onstage at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace Theatre and will run through Sun 1/17. Rudman led us through listening to, well, actually 11, of Charnin’s favorite songs. Just 10 was just too tough.
Charnin has had an amazing career working with some of the greatest names in Broadway history and music. But the evening, which will be aired on Rudman’s Footlight Parade in the near future, was filled with great suprises. One of my favorites being that he originated the role of Big Deal in West Side Story. Make sure you keep your ears open for Footlight Parade, which airs Saturday night on WCLV at 6 pm, and also can be heard on On the Aisle, which airs on the Sirius XM Broadway Channel at various times.
All of this courtesy of the Musical Theater Project. This was a private event, members only, so this is just one of the many great reasons to become a member and support the Great American Musicals.
If you are interested in seeing Annie this week at the Connor Place, here is the link.
[Written by Kevin Kelly]