Andrea McArdle

Andrea McArdle (born November 5, 1963) is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie.

Andrea McArdle
McArdle and Reid Shelton in Annie in 1977.
Background information
Birth nameAndrea McArdle
Born (1963-11-05) November 5, 1963
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Years active1970–present

Career

McArdle was born in Philadelphia. While studying dance as a child, she was spotted by a talent agent who got her work in a number of television commercials, which led to her two-and-a-half year stint on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She also appeared on Al Alberts Showcase, a local televised talent show in Philadelphia.

McArdle's break came in early 1977 when she was pulled from the chorus of orphans to replace Kristen Vigard, the original Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, during the show's Connecticut tryout run. The show was a critical and commercial smash, and she became the youngest performer ever to be nominated for a Tony Award as Best Lead Actress in a Musical. She lost to co-star Dorothy Loudon—who played Miss Hannigan—but did receive the Theater World and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for her performance. In April 1978, she opened in London's West End production. She appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1977-79, on one occasion accompanied by Liberace. She also appeared more than once on the Mike Douglas Show, singing with Kristy McNichol, Stephanie Mills, Liberace and Don Rickles. She appeared on Perry Como's Christmas show, where she sang with Como, and on Welcome Back Kotter, playing Arnold Horshack's younger sister.

In 1979, she sang the national anthems for both the United States and Canada at the Major League Baseball All Star Game in Seattle, Washington. She also sang the American national anthem at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia for the fifth and final game of the 1983 World Series, in her capacity as a native of Philadelphia.

Her first role after returning to the States was the role of Judy Garland in NBC's telepic Rainbow, but throughout her career she has concentrated primarily on performing in musical theater and cabarets. Her credits include Les Misérables (both on Broadway and in the national tour), Jerry's Girls (a revue of Jerry Herman songs co-starring Carol Channing and Leslie Uggams), Beauty and the Beast, Starlight Express, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, They're Playing Our Song, and another celebrated Annie in Irving Berlin's classic, Annie Get Your Gun. She briefly appeared in the 1999 Rob Marshall-directed TV version of Annie, singing the "Star To Be" segment of the song "N.Y.C."

McArdle has performed in the showrooms of many of the casino hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and in cabarets such as Odette's in New Hope, Pennsylvania and the King Cole Room at the St. Regis Hotel and Freddy's Supper Club in Manhattan. McArdle once again starred in the musical Annie with the North Carolina Theatre Company, although she portrayed the role of Miss Hannigan, at odds with her former character.[1]

Her CD, Andrea McArdle on Broadway, was arranged and produced by her ex-husband, composer Edd Kalehoff, who also collaborated with her on an album of Christmas songs that was released in conjunction with her Family Christmas Show at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Christmas show, "Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas" ran for three Christmases and featured dancers, singers and acrobats from Encore Productions in South Jersey. McArdle also sang and appeared in several television promotional campaigns produced by Kalehoff, including WNBC-TV's We're 4 New York in 1992, and WEWS-TV's Give Me 5 in 1995. Divorced in August 2011, the couple had one daughter, Alexis Kalehoff (b.1988), a performer who has appeared with her mother in Les Miz.

McArdle returned to Annie at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California, as Miss Hannigan from October 29 - November 14, 2010.[2] She took part in the New York Musical Theatre Festival's (NYMF) production of Greenwood the Musical in fall 2011.

In November 2012, McArdle was the "guest star" in Newsical.[3]

On April 2, 2014 Oceania Cruises[4] announced a new "Life in the Theater"[5] series featuring McArdle, for select sailings starting with a voyage aboard Riviera on October 29, 2014.

In December 2015, McArdle starred in the Off-Broadway play 2 Across at St. Luke's Theatre.[6]

In May 2016, McArdle starred as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's Anything Goes. The show also featured Sally Struthers. The production opened at Gateway Playhouse (Bellport, New York), and later transferred to Ogunquit Playhouse. The production was directed by Jayme McDaniel, and choreographed by Jason Wise.[7]

Stage work
Year Musical Role Venue
1977 Annie Annie Broadway
1978 Annie Annie West End; Played role for 40 performances
1984 Jerry's Girls Ensemble tour
1985 The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale regional; Melody Top Theatre in Milwaukee
Unknown The Vagina Monologues Performer regional
1987 Starlight Express Ashley Broadway
1989 Meet Me in St. Louis Esther Smith regional; Melody Top Theatre in Milwaukee
1992 They're Playing Our Song Sonia tour
1993 Les Misérables Fantine Broadway
1994 Les Misérables Eponine National Tour
1995 State Fair Margy Frake Broadway
1996 Oliver! Nancy regional
1996 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Narrator regional
1996 The Fantasticks Luisa regional
1997 Evita Eva Perón regional
1999 Beauty and the Beast Belle Broadway
2000 Grease Sandy Dumbrowski regional
2001 Cabaret Sally Bowles international tour
2002 Annie Get Your Gun Annie Oakley regional, Reagle Players
2006 Annie Get Your Gun Annie Oakley regional
2006 Cabaret Sally Bowles regional, Ogunquit Playhouse
2007 Gypsy Rose regional
2008 Les Misérables Fantine regional, Ogunquit Playhouse
2010 Annie Miss Hannigan North Carolina Theatre
2010 Annie Miss Hannigan Musical Theatre West, Long Beach
2011 Blood Brothers Mrs. Johnstone Theatre Zone, Naples, Florida
2011 Urinetown Penelope Pennywise Connecticut Repertory Theatre
2011 Greenwood the Musical Adult Sheila New York Musical Theatre Festival
2012 NEWSical the Musical Guest Star/Various Characters Off-Broadway
2013 Mame Mame Dennis Bucks County Playhouse New Hope, Pennsylvania & The Media Theatre, Media, Pennsylvania
2015 Hello, Dolly! Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi The Media Theatre, Media, Pennsylvania
2015 2 Across Janet Off-Broadway (play)
2016 Anything Goes Reno Sweeney regional, Gateway Playhouse, Bellport, NY
2016 Anything Goes Reno Sweeney regional, Ogunquit Playhouse

Awards and honors
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References
  1. "Look Back at Andrea McArdle and the Original Cast of Annie on Broadway". Playbill. April 21, 2020.
  2. Gans, Andrew. "Andrea McArdle Will Play Miss Hannigan for Musical Theatre West's 'Annie'" playbill.com, September 15, 2010
  3. "Photo Flash: First Look at Andrea McArdle in Newsical!", BroadwayWorld, November 20, 2012
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-04-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. “Life in the Theater” Archived April 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine oceaniacruises.com, April 8, 2014
  6. Collins-Hughes, Laura. "Theater Review. Andrea Mcardle and Kip Gilman Puzzle Out Love in 2 Across" The New York Times, December 12, 2015
  7. Jacobson, Aileen (2016-05-27). "Review: Joyous Energy Fills 'Anything Goes,' at Gateway Playhouse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
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