Families sponsored by The New York Foundling, one of the city's oldest and largest children and family service agencies, are treated to a night of "Annie" on Broadway.
On Dec. 2, more than 500 theatergoers attended a private reception and the matinee performance of Broadway’s Annie the Musical, in a show of support for The New York Foundling, one of the city’s oldest and largest children and family services agencies.
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Actress Lilla Crawford (center), the star of “Annie the Musical,” with children sponsored by The New York Foundling and CNN “Starting Point” anchor Soledad O’Brien. Terry Murphy
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At a pre-show VIP reception at the Palace Theatre, elementary school children from The Foundling’s Mott Haven Academy Charter School in the South Bronx serenaded Annie composer Charles Strouse with their own rendition of the classic song “Tomorrow.” The children were “real-life Annies” who are involved with the child welfare system and had never before seen a Broadway show.
Among the other Foundling supporters at the reception and performance were the original Annie, actress and singer Andrea McArdle; the musical’s producer, Arielle Tepper Madover; musical stage director James Lapine; Annie cast members; and CNN “Starting Point” anchor and Foundling volunteer Soledad O’Brien, who served as emcee of the informal program and attended with her family.
The guests had been scheduled to attend The Foundling’s Nov. 13 fundraising gala honoring Bill Rudin, vice chairman and CEO of Rudin Management Company, Inc., and Anthony Watson, chairman and CEO of EmblemHealth. The dinner was canceled in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but the event still raised more than $1 million.
Many of The Foundling children and families who attended the show reside on Staten Island and have been struggling to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
For more information about The New York Foundling, visit nyfoundling.org.
