'Annie' Comes To The Hippodrome Theater

BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ)--The spunky orphan with the curly red hair and her faithful pooch hit the Hippodrome stage this week. The Tony-Award winning musical "Annie" comes to Charm City.

As Gigi Barnett reports, Annie's furry companion is also a star in the show.

It's the Annie anthem--still a musical hit and international sensation since 1977. And this week, the spunky spirited red-head comes to Charm City.

Daddy Warbucks, Miss Hannigan and all of Annie's orphan friends are unforgettable. So, is her faithful companion Sandy, but behind the scenes there isn't one Sandy, but two.

"I'm like an uncle," said Dustin Harder.

Dustin Harder handles Sunny and Macy, who share the Sandy role.

"The hardest thing we do on the road is to make sure they're rested or when they are in any show because dogs require 18 hours of sleep a day," said Harder.

Just like Sandy in the musical, Sandy and Macy are real orphans, they were both found at kill shelters now they have a brand new life on stage.

"She likes to rough house, she will jump around the hotel like crazy. Macy kind of gets involved a little but then she'll be like, 'What are you jumping around so crazy?' She'll be like, 'We're ladies what are you doing?" said Harder.

Harder also works with 9-year-old actress Issie Swickle, who plays Annie she becomes a handler of sorts on stage.

"It kind of gets easy once you learn the commands and get use to them," said Swickle.

And, after the show, it's not so much a hard-knock life for her and the two show dogs.

"We have sleep overs cause it bonds more and they get to know me more, so they listen to me much better," said Swickle.

In the 1970's the original Sandy worked with five different Annies. The last night to see Annie here is February 1, 2015.

For more information on the show visit: http://baltimore.broadway.com/