Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return

NEW YORK ― When the precocious orphans of "Annie" sneer, "We love you, Miss Hannigan," you just might believe them.

After all, in this sturdy new production, the loathsome Hannigan is played by none other than Whoopi Goldberg, who is perfectly prickly and altogether hilarious in her first stage acting role in more than 15 years.

Since 2007, Goldberg, 69, has become known to many as a no-nonsense moderator of ABC's daytime talk show "The View." But lest you forget, she's also an EGOT winner with multiple Broadway credits, having graced New York stages in "Xanadu," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," as well as her own solo show.

Capably directed by Jenn Thompson, the national tour of "Annie" is playing a roughly monthlong run at New York's cavernous Theater at Madison Square Garden. The classic musical, as you're likely aware, follows an optimistic orphan named Annie (Hazel Vogel), who's taken in for Christmas by the workaholic billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Christopher Swan), who learns to stop and smell the bus fumes of NYC with his plucky, mop-headed charge.

Vogel brings a refreshingly warm and self-effacing spirit to the typically cloying title character, while Swan is suitably gruff with a gooey center. (His Act 2 song, "Something Was Missing," is a touching highlight.) Mark Woodard, too, is an exuberant scene-stealer as FDR, who – to the shock of many "Annie" agnostics – plays a substantial role in the stage show, most of which was jettisoned for the 1999 film starring Kathy Bates. (In a "Forrest Gump"-ian turn of events, Annie inspires the president to create the New Deal, after singing "Tomorrow" together in the Oval Office.)

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But the draw of this production is, of course, Goldberg, who reminds us of her prodigious talent as the scheming orphanage head Hannigan, who's been memorably embodied by Carol Burnett and Dorothy Loudon. Her take on the character is less resentful than she is just flat-out exhausted by the snot-nosed kiddies in her orbit. "You must be very sick," one little girl tells Hannigan. "You don't know the half of it," Goldberg deadpans, swilling another gulp of liquor before shuffling back up stage.

For as sardonic and unbothered as she presents, Goldberg brings a real humanity to the larger-than-life Hannigan. When her felonious brother, Rooster (Rhett Guter), reveals his plan to kill Annie, the actress' palpable horror is heartbreaking. Goldberg's singing voice is gravelly yet surprisingly mighty, and it's a genuine joy to see her face light up during showstoppers "Easy Street" and "Little Girls."

When it was first announced this year that Goldberg would be joining "Annie," some people wondered why she would pick this particular show to make her stage comeback. (After all, an actress of her caliber could have her choice of any number of star vehicles, and we've all seen "Annie" umpteenth times.) But there's a reason this musical endures, and watching Goldberg shine is a balm at the end of an especially trying year for everyone.

Now, as theater fans, we can only hope she doesn't stay away too long.

"Annie" is playing through Jan. 5 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. For more information and to buy tickets, visit msg.com/annie.

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