And Here Is To Another Kind Of Birthday Celebration, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        Forty-nine years ago--and you know what comes after that! --tonight, darlings, "ANNIE" opened at the then Alvin Theatre, which is now the Neil Simon.   How well I recall the hoopla surrounding this show.  When I finally got to see an excerpt presented on the TONY Awards that year, I was so excited, I bussed into the city from New Jersey and stood two hours in line for a ticket.  I had never done that before.  But I was so impressed.

                          To think when this happened Andrea McArdle, the original Annie, was all of 13.  Now, she must be 62!!!!!!!!!!  As for me, I was all of 22, and now I am 71!!!!!!!!!!!  Where has the time gone?

                          There are, of course, some Annies I have not seen.  I would love to play the part, but most of all, I would love to see Leslie Jones do Black ANNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How about Liza?  Or Christine Pedi?  Or BARBRA as Miss Hannigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            This was one of the last shows when musical theater was really musical theater.

                             Because of that, and its classics stature, when it turns 50 next year, there should special celebrations!

                               Maybe even a Broadway revival!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!