Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that Claire Sweeney will star as Miss Hannigan in the UK and Ireland tour of the musical ANNIE. Claire will perform from Tuesday 7 July 2026 at the Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff before playing Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Newcastle, Dublin, Bristol, Nottingham, Hull, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Truro, Cheltenham, Stoke, Crawley, Belfast, Aberdeen, Woking, Bradford, Oxford, Sunderland, Southampton, Norwich, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Glasgow and Leicester. Tour schedule and on sale details below.
Claire will star alongside the previously announced Alex Bourne as Oliver Warbucks, and the newly announced Tanisha-Mae Brown as Grace Farrell, Christian Cooper as Rooster, and Amber Kennedy as Lily St. Regis.
Also joining the company are Jack Buchanan, Harrison Burley, Zoë Canham, Sophie Elmes, Belle Kizzy Green, Issy Khogali, Yujin Park, Elliot David Parkes, Carl Sanderson, Michaela Stern, Matthew Sweet and Jessica Wright.
La Voix will play Miss Hannigan in Wimbledon, Birmingham, Manchester, Plymouth and Canterbury.
Claire Sweeney is an actress, singer and TV presenter. She can currently be seen as series regular Cassie Plummer in Coronation Street and is well known for her role as Lindsay Corkhill in Brookside. Her other credits include roles in Clocking Off, Holby City, Merseybeat, Candy Cabs, Scarborough, The Good Ship Murder and Benidorm.
Claire’s many West End credits include playing Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre, and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, playing opposite Patrick Swayze, at The Piccadilly Theatre. Claire’s other stage credits include starring roles in national tours of 9 to 5 the Musical, Crazy For You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Legally Blonde, Hairspray and September in the Rain. She has played the title role in Educating Rita alongside Matthew Kelly and in 2011, she starred in a new production of Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Don Black’s one-woman show Tell Me on a Sunday. Claire has also toured in the hit show Sex In Suburbia, which she co-wrote, following its hugely successful run at the Royal Court Liverpool. Other theatre credits include Willy Russell’s classic Shirley Valentine, White Christmas, Shout!, a world tour of Fosse, and The Play What I Wrote.
Tanisha-Mae Brown’s theatre credits include Singin’ in the Rain at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Guys and Dolls at The Bridge Theatre, Evita at Curve, Leicester, UK and Ireland Tours of The Lion King and Chicago, A Mother’s Song at the Lowry, and Pippin at the Garden Theatre.
Christian Cooper most recently played Rolf Gruber in The Sound of Music at Curve, Leicester, directed by Nikolai Foster. His credits whilst training include The Little Mermaid, The Addams Family, A Little Night Music and Spring Awakening. His film credits include The Radleys for Sky Cinema, opposite Damian Lewis.
Amber Kennedy’s theatre credits include the UK Tour of Sister Act the Musical, UK and International Tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the International Tour of West Side Story, Dick Whittington and Sleeping Beauty, both at Theatre Royal Windsor.
Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Her luck soon changes when she’s chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family…
With its Tony award-winning book and score, this stunning production includes the unforgettable songs ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life’, ‘Easy Street’, ‘I Don’t Need Anything But You’ and ‘Tomorrow’.
ANNIE has Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin and a Book by Thomas Meehan. It is directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster with set and costume design by Colin Richmond, choreography by Nick Winston, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Richard Brooker.
ANNIE is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian. This tour was licensed by Music Theatre International (MTI).
ANNIE UK TOUR 2026-27
LISTINGS
SATURDAY 23 – SATURDAY 30 MAY 2026
ANNIE at NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE
La Voix starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 2 – SATURDAY 6 JUNE 2026
THE ALEXANDRA, BIRMINGHAM
https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/
La Voix starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 9 – SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2026
Annie at PALACE THEATRE MANCHESTER
La Voix starring as Miss Hannigan
MONDAY 22 – SATURDAY 27 JUNE 2026
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH
https://theatreroyal.com/
La Voix starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 30 – SATURDAY 4 JULY 2026
MARLOWE THEATRE, CANTERBURY
https://marlowetheatre.com/
La Voix starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 7 – SATURDAY 18 JULY 2026
WALES MILLENIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 21 – SUNDAY 26 JULY 2026
Annie at MILTON KEYNES THEATRE
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 28 – SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 2026
BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE
www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/our-venues/large-venues/opera-house/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 4 – SATURDAY 8 AUGUST 2026
THEATRE ROYAL, NEWCASTLE
https://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 11 – SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2026
BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATRE, DUBLIN
www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 18 – SUNDAY 23 AUGUST 2026
Annie at Bristol Hippodrome
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 1 – SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2026
CONCERT HALL, NOTTINGHAM
https://trch.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 8 – SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2026
HULL NEW THEATRE
https://www.hulltheatres.co.uk/hull-new-theatres
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 15 – SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2026
Annie at EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 22 – SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2026
Annie at LIVERPOOL EMPIRE
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 29 – SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026
HALL FOR CORNWALL, TRURO
https://www.hallforcornwall.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 6 – SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2026
THE EVERYMAN THEATRE, CHELTENHAM
https://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 13 – SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 2026
Annie at REGENT THEATRE, STOKE-ON-TRENT
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 20 – SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER 2026
THE HAWTH THEATRE, CRAWLEY
www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/the-hawth
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 27 – SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER 2026
GRAND OPERA HOUSE, BELFAST
https://www.goh.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 3 – SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2026
HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN
www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/his-majestys-theatre/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
MONDAY 16 – SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2026
Annie at NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
MONDAY 23 – SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2026
ALHAMBRA THEATRE, BRADFORD
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/alhambra-theatre
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER 2026 – SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2027
Annie at NEW THEATRE OXFORD
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
MONDAY 18 – SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2027
Annie at SUNDERLAND EMPIRE
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
MONDAY 25 – SATURDAY 30 JANUARY 2027
MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON
www.mayflower.org.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 2 – SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2027
NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL
https://norwichtheatre.org/your-visit/norwich-theatre-royal/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 16 – SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2027
GRAND THEATRE, WOLVERHAMPTON
https://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 23 – SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2027
LYCEUM THEATRE, SHEFFIELD
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 2 – SUNDAY 7 MARCH 2027
Annie at KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan
TUESDAY 9 – SUNDAY 14 MARCH 2027
CURVE THEATRE, LEICESTER
https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
Claire Sweeney starring as Miss Hannigan