Entering the cast album market, Time Life is the label presenting the package, billed as "Annie: The 30th Anniversary Cast Recording."

The two-disc set "features bonus songs never before recorded," including a track from the televised Annie Christmas special starring a young Andrea McArdle.

The release is produced by multiple Grammy nominee Robert Sher. The producing associate is Brandon Wardell.

Cast members from the new recording will appear for a CD signing 4 PM June 4 at the Virgin Megastore Times Square at 1540 Broadway. Expect Kathie Lee Gifford, Shelly Burch, Andrea McArdle, Marissa O'Donnell, Conrad John Shuck, and cast members past and present, along with the Annie creators.

Disc One is the newly recorded Tony-winning score (the most complete recording yet of the 1977 Broadway score — including lesser-known reprises). Representing the 30th anniversary touring cast on Disc One are Alene Robertson as Miss Hannigan, Marissa O'Donnell as Annie, Elizabeth Broadhurst as Grace and Conrad John Schuck as Daddy Warbucks. Disc Two includes songs from Annie II: Miss Hannigan's Revenge, which never made it to Broadway but was seen in tryouts.

(Annie II is not to be confused with the licensable, already-recorded property, Annie Warbucks, a sequel that had an Off-Broadway run and continues to have a regional life.)

The second disc also offers bonus material, including new or cut songs from various Annie productions. Of special interest to fans here is the recording premiere of a new song inserted into Annie in revivals: "Why Should I Change a Thing?," a rumination by Daddy Warbucks. It was added to an Australian production and was inserted into a Charnin-directed touring American production in recent years.

Disc Two boasts some of the most popular cast members in the production's history: Carol Burnett (Miss Hannigan of the film version, who provides special narration), Sally Struthers and Kathie Lee Gifford (both playing/singing Miss Hannigan here), Andrea McArdle (the original Annie, offering narration/introduction of bonus material, and singing two songs — "My Daddy" and "It's Christmas"), Harve Presnell as Daddy and Gary Beach as villain Lionel. Amanda Balon plays Annie on Disc Two. Shelly Burch is Grace on Disc Two.

Their work is "recorded especially for this comprehensive and commemorative CD set."

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Annie features lyrics by Martin Charnin (I Remember Mama, Two By Two), music by Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and the upcoming Minsky's) and book by Thomas Meehan (The Producers, Hairspray, Young Frankenstein).

The recording features musical direction/supervision by Keith Levenson. Philip J. Lang's original orchestrations are used, as are new orchestrations by Robert M. Freedman, Dick Lieb, Jamie Lawrence and Keith Levenson. Peter Howard and Marvin Laird's vocal and dance arrangements are heard. Additional orchestrations are by Michael Starobin and Larry Wilcox (Annie II).

The CD set also features "exquisitely designed artwork" by Philo Barnhart (the artist behind the animation of Disney's Ariel and Ursula in the film "The Little Mermaid"). The booklet captures the musical’s scenes in comic-strip style. Additional artwork was contributed by Tony-winning costume designer William Ivey Long.

"Annie is an American cultural treasure and we are incredibly pleased to have so many past cast members join us for this special definitive collection," stated Mike Jason, Time Life senior vice president of audio and video retail. Time Life's next cast album will be the new Broadway recording of Gypsy, due in stores this summer.

Set in the Depression, Annie borrows characters from Harold Gray's comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" to tell the story of red-headed moppet Annie, who becomes the ward of billionaire Oliver Warbucks, much to the consternation of craven orphanage matron Miss Hannigan. The show lifted the spirits of a post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America and introduced a generation of children to the musical theatre.

TRACK LISTING

DISC 1
1. Overture
2. Maybe
3. It's the Hard-Knock Life
4. It's the Hard-Knock Life (Reprise)
5. Tomorrow
6. We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover
7. Little Girls
8. Little Girls (Reprise)
9. I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
10. N.Y.C.
11. Easy Street
12. You Won't Be an Orphan for Long
13. Maybe (Reprise)
14. Entr'acte
15. You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
16. You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Reprise)
17. Easy Street (Reprise)
18. Tomorrow (Reprise)
19. Something Was Missing
20. Annie
21. I Don't Need Anything But You
22. Maybe (Reprise)
23. A New Deal for Christmas
24. Finale; Tomorrow

DISC 2
1. "The story as told by Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan…"
2. 1934 (sung by Presnell)
3. "Miss Hannigan Continues"
4. 1934 (Reprise)
5. Miss Hannigan Continues"
6. How Could I Ever Say No? (sung by Struthers and Beach)
7. "Miss Hannigan Continues"
8. The Lady of the House (sung by Charnin and Burch, as Drake and Grace)
9. He Doesn't Know I'm Alive (sung by Burch)
10. "Miss Hannigan Continues"
11. The Lady of the House (Reprise)
12. "Miss Hannigan Continues"
13. Coney Island (sung Presnell, Burch, Gifford, Beach, Balon, ensemble, with taps by Noah Racey)
14. "Miss Hannigan Continues"
15. "Interruption & Explanation by Martin Charnin"
16. All I've Got Is Me (sung by Balon)
17. I Guess Things Happen for the Best (sung by O'Donnell)
18. My Daddy (sung by McArdle)
19. "Miss Hannigan Concludes"
20. Tomorrow Is Now (sung by Presnell)
Bonus Tracks
21. "Introduction of Bonus Material by Andrea McArdle"
22. Why Should I Change a Thing? (sung by Schuck)
23. Don't Mess with Mother (added to the Nell Carter 20th anniversary revival of Annie, sung by Kathie Lee Gifford)
24. It's Christmas (a song from the TV special, featuring four past Annies — Andrea McArdle, Marissa O'Donnell, Kathryn Zaremba and Amanda Balon)