I remember even in the very first Broadway production of ANNIE, for "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," the cute little orphans were bumping and grinding like strippers during the dance break.
LOL, I don't recall bumping and grinding like strippers.
We saw it in the spring of '79 when my parent's were visiting us in New Jersey. What I recall the most about it was my mother and I having the same reaction. We both walked away feeling sad.
In the link BK gave from the 1977 Tonys, it's the tush-bump down the line at 1:17 I was talking about. (My mind added the grind, I guess>) And Little Molly becoming actress Danielle Brisebois for a moment, bowing and acknowledging the audience's applause. Magic in 1977.
Danielle B. of course went on to some TV sitcom stardom.
By the time the show moved to the big Uris a/k/a Gershwin Theatre, the ads and marketing felt all about the kids. During Dorothy Loudon's run, I saw it several times, but didn't notice an unusual number of kids in the audience. I'd talked my American Studies class professor into letting me do my term paper on ANNIE and the relevance of the Great Depression era character in the more hopeful Jimmy Carter's America. The professor was reluctant to OK the topic at first, until I showed him an outline, but he ended up giving me one of my law school recommendation letters.
