Annie

Annie comes to the Sunderland Empire from Monday 18 January, with the run continuing through to Saturday 23 January. It's a West End musical that first opened in 1977, and it's become a bit of a classic since then. The story is one you've probably heard: a red-headed orphan in Depression-era New York, raised in the misery of Miss Hannigan's Hudson Street Orphanage, is chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas at the mansion of the enigmatic billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Her bright personality wins over the crotchety businessman, and the show follows her search for her real parents while Miss Hannigan hatches a plan to spoil it.

It's billed as the world's favourite family musical, and it's built around the songs most people recognise from it: 'It's the Hard-Knock Life', 'Easy Street', 'I Don't Need Anything But You' and 'Tomorrow'. This production is part of a UK and Ireland tour that opened in May 2026, and it runs two hours and ten minutes including an interval. There's age guidance advising no under-3s, so keep that in mind if you're planning a family outing.

Claire Sweeney takes the role of Miss Hannigan, with Tanisha-Mae Brown as Grace Farrell and Christian Cooper as Rooster. Amber Kennedy plays Lily St Regis, and the rest of the company includes Jack Buchanan, Harrison Burley, Zoe Canham, Sophie Elmes, Belle Kizzy Green, Issy Khogali, Yujin Park, Elliot David Parkes, Carl Sanderson, Michaela Stern, Matthew Sweet and Jessica Wright. It's directed by Nikolai Foster, with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and choreography by Nick Winston.

Standard tickets are between £17.50 and £75.48, and the show runs from Monday 18 January through to Saturday 23 January at the Sunderland Empire, with performances starting at 7:30pm on Monday and Tuesday, and a 2:30pm matinee on Wednesday 20 January.