Producer John Frost for Crossroads Live has revealed the young actors who will be playing the roles of Annie and her orphan friends in the upcoming Melbourne season of the ever-popular Broadway musical Annie, which begins at the Princess Theatre on 8 July 2025.
Three gifted young performers will share the titular role of Annie – Dakota Chanel, Isabella Hayden and Lilleth McIntosh.
Playing the role of Pepper will be Mila Hourmouzis, Natasha Kirkham and Harper Pasco, while Elliana Anastasi, Zoe Desmier and Sophie Isaac will share the role of Duffy. As Kate will be Mia Calabrese, Marli Lee and Quinn Manton, with Tessie played by Nevaeh Bangit, Ava Kroussoratis and Stella Partridge.
July will be played by Lola Duffie, Grace McConnell and Calliope Xintavelonis, and Molly by Bibiana Brudan, Savannah Callus and Lila Colombi. Sofia Arnup, Leah Cooper, Eliana Livoti and Willow Skidmore have been cast as Friday.
They will join the stellar cast led by Anthony Warlow as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, the role which took him to Broadway. Debora Krizak plays Miss Hannigan, Mackenzie Dunn plays Lily St. Regis, Keanu Gonzalez steps into the role of “Rooster” Hannigan, while Amanda Lea LaVergne plays Grace Farrell. The original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, plays President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his musical theatre debut.
The talented ensemble cast is comprised of Luke Alleva, Cameron Boxall, Tim Brown, Emily Casey, Nakita Clarke, Andrew Dunne, Sebastian Johnston, Anna Mallows, Chloë Marshall, Kristina McNamara, Tom New, Ryan Orphel, Madeline Pratt, Lisa Sontag, Suzanne Steele and Dean Vince.
“I’m extremely excited to announced this wonderfully talented group of young actresses who will be playing Annie and her orphan friends in Melbourne. They were chosen from hundreds of girls who registered for an audition, and all stood out as marvellous performers,” said John Frost.
“They join the rest of the cast led by Anthony, Deb, Mackenzie, Keanu, Amanda and Greg – we have a spectacular company,” said John Frost. “This is a magnificent new production of Annie for a whole new generation. Line up now to buy your tickets to one of the most delightful and inspiring musicals of all time. Don’t wait until Tomorrow!”
This inspiring new Australian production, directed by Karen Johnson Mortimer and choreographed by Mitchell Woodcock, has been playing in Sydney to packed audiences and standing ovations.
One of the most awarded and loved musicals of all time, with its iconic score featuring classics like It’s the Hard-Knock Life, Tomorrow, Easy Street and N.Y.C, Annie is truly a timeless masterpiece, with a book and score written by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin.
Based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, which debuted in 1924 and ran for over 80 years, the musical Annie burst into popularity in 1977 when it opened on Broadway.
The musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, and the Grammy® for Best Cast Show Album.
After the Broadway run of almost six years, it has played in more than 22 countries worldwide including the UK, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Australia. Annie became a smash-hit movie musical in 1982 starring Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney and Carol Burnett that is adored worldwide and a fixture of popular culture references.
A celebration of hope, family and friendship. This small but mighty young girl has returned to stick out her chin and grin once more!
Annie continues at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre until 21 June, before moving to Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from 8 July and Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre – QPAC from 27 December 2025. For more information, visit: www.anniemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Lilleth McIntosh and Isabella Hayden to star as Annie in Melbourne – photo by James Terry