Script

SIDE 1

Mama! Mama! Mommy!

Be quiet!

Can t anybody get any sleep around here?

Mama. Mommy.

I said shut your trap, Molly.
(shoves Molly)

Ahh, stop shovin the poor kid. She ain t doin nuthin to you.

She s keepin me awake, ain t she?

How  bout I make a pancake outta you?
(PEPPER and JULY fight.)

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, they re fightin and I won t get no sleep all night. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
(ANNIE, age 11, runs in.)

Pipe down, all of ya. Go back to sleep.
(to MOLLY)
It s all right, Molly. Annie's here.

It was my Mama, Annie.

It was only a dream, honey. Now you gotta go back to sleep.

Annie... read me your note.

Again?

Please?
(ANNIE takes a crumpled note from her pocket and reads it to MOLLY.)

 Please take good care of our little darling. Her name is Annie.

(Mockingly, they have heard this note read a thousand times before)
She was born on October 28th. We will be back to get her soon.

(Mockingly)
 We have left half of a silver locket around her neck and kept the other half...

...so that when we come back for her you will know that she s our baby.
(PEPPER, DUFFY, KATE and the ORPHANS start to laugh.)

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, now they re laughing.

(to the others)
All right. Do you want to sleep with your teeth insida your mouth or out!

Gee, I dream about havin a mother and father again. But you re lucky. You really got  em.

SIDE 2

(A faraway church bell chimes four A.M. ANNIE starts putting things into a small basket.)

Annie, whatta ya doin?

Runnin away.

Oh my goodness.

My folks are never coming for me. I gotta go find them.

Annie, you re crazy. Miss Hannigan ll catch you.

I don t care. I m gettin outta here. Wish me luck.

Good luck, Annie.

So long, dumbbell. And good luck.

(ANNIE sneaks across the stage. As she reaches to open the door, MISS HANNIGAN, flings open the door.)

Aha! Caught you!
(ANNIE falls backward.)

Get up. Get up!

(standing up)
Yes, Miss Hannigan.

Rotten orphan.

I'm not an orphan. My mother and father left a note saying they loved me and they were coming back for me.

That was 1922; this is 1933.
(blows her whistle)
Get up! All of you. Now, for this one s shenanigans, you ll all get down on your knobby little knees and clean this dump until it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building.

(The ORPHANS all get out of bed.)

But it s four o clock in the morning.

Get to work!!

Yes, Miss Hannigan.

Why any kid would want to be an orphan, I ll never know.

SIDE 3

(A policeman, LT. WARD, enters.)

Hey you! Little girl. Come here.

Yes, officer?

That dog there. Ain't he a stray?

A stray? Oh, no, officer. He s my dog.

Your dog, huh? So, what s his name?

His name? His name is... Sandy. Right, that s it. I call him Sandy because of his nice sandy color.

Okay, let s see him answer to his name.

Well, you see, officer... I just got him and sometimes...

Call him!

Here, Sandy. Here, boy. Sandy.
(SANDY crosses to ANNIE.)
Good Sandy. Good old Sandy.

Next time you take him out, I wanna see him on a leash and with a license, or else he goes to the pound.

Yes, sir, I understand.

Now get along with you before you catch the death of cold in this weather.

SIDE 4

Apples, apples. Two for a nickel.

Excuse me, sir, but could you donate an apple to the orphan's picnic?

Why not? Nobody's buying  'em anyway.

Gee thanks, Mister.

Say kid, when is the orphan's picnic?

Soon as I take a bite.

(ANNIE takes a bite of the apple. The APPLE SELLER exits as SANDY enters from the other side.)

Hey there. The dogcatchers are after you, ain t they? Well, they're after me, too. But don t worry, I ain t gonna let them get you or me. Everything s gonna be fine. For the both of us. If not today, well...
 

SIDE 5

(There is a knock at the door.)

Yeah. Come in.

(LT. WARD enters with ANNIE.)

Good afternoon. Miss Hannigan. We found your runaway.

Oh, poor punkin, out in the freezin cold with just that thin sweater. Thanks so much, officer.

All in the line of duty. Good afternoon.
(LT. WARD exits. MISS HANNIGAN acts like her true self again.)

Well are you glad to be back? Huh?

Yes, Miss Hannigan.

Liar. What's the one thing I always taught you: never tell a lie!
(GRACE FARRELL enters.)

Good afternoon. Miss Hannigan?

Yes?

I'm Grace Farrell, private secretary to Oliver Warbucks.

The Oliver Warbucks? The Millionaire?

Mr. Warbucks has decided to invite an orphan to spend the Christmas holidays at his home.

(ANNIE smiles really big.)

What sort of orphan did he have in mind?
(ANNIE waves)

What about this child right here?

Annie? Oh, no! You don't want her.

Annie, would you like to spend the next two weeks at Mr. Warbuck's home?

I would love to.

If you get her coat, I'll take her along right now.

She don't have no coat.

Then we'll buy her one.
(to MISS HANNIGAN)

Merry Christmas.

(to ANNIE)
Come along Annie.