Six time Emmy nominated actor Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) has signed on to join the cast of the upcoming NBC live production of Annie. According to Playbill, the stage and screen favorite will take on the role of Rooster, the scheming brother of Miss Hannigan.
Burgess will be joining Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, Harry Connick, Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, and Nicole Scherzinger as Grace. A nationwide search continues for the young actor who will play the title role.
Burgess was last seen on Broadway as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 2009 production of Guys and Dolls. He garnered five of his six Emmy nominations for his work on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He currently appears on the animated musical comedy series Central Park and can be seen in the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.
Annie Live! will be executive produced by Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron, and Alex Rudzinsky. Lear deBessonet and Alex Rudzinski will share directing duties, with choreography led by Sergio Trujillo, costumes by Paul Tazewell, production design by Jason Sherwood, and orchestrations by Stephen Oremus.
The live event is being produced by Chloe Productions.
Source: Playbill