Andrea McArdle

McArdle appeared on Al Alberts Showcase, a local televised talent show in Philadelphia.

In 1977 she originated the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. In April 1978, she opened the London West End production in the same role. She appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1977-79, on one occasion accompanied by Liberace. She also appeared more than once on the Mike Douglas Show, singing with Kristy McNichol, Stephanie Mills, Liberace and Don Rickles. She appeared on Perry Como's Christmas show, where she sang with Como, and on Welcome Back Kotter, playing Arnold Horshack's younger sister.

In 1979, she sang the national anthems for both the United States and Canada at the Major League Baseball All Star Game in Seattle, Washington. She also sang the American national anthem at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia for the fifth and final game of the 1983 World Series, in her capacity as a native of Philadelphia.

Her first role after returning to the States was the role of Judy Garland in NBC's telepic Rainbow, but throughout her career she has concentrated primarily on performing in musical theater and cabarets. Her credits include Les Misérables (both on Broadway and in the national tour), Jerry's Girls (a revue of Jerry Herman songs co-starring Carol Channing and Leslie Uggams), Beauty and the Beast, Starlight Express, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, They're Playing Our Song, and another celebrated Annie in Irving Berlin's classic, Annie Get Your Gun. She briefly appeared in the 1999 Rob Marshall-directed TV version of Annie, singing the "Star To Be" segment of the song "N.Y.C."

McArdle has performed in the showrooms of many of the casino hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and in cabarets such as Odette's in New Hope, Pennsylvania and the King Cole Room at the St. Regis Hotel and Freddy's Supper Club in Manhattan. McArdle once again starred in the musical Annie with the North Carolina Theatre Company, although she portrayed the role of Miss Hannigan, at odds with her former character.{{cite news|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/look-back-at-andrea-mcardle-and-the-original-cast-of-annie-on-broadway|title=Look Back at Andrea McArdle and the Original Cast of Annie on Broadway|work=Playbill|date=April 21, 2021|author=Playbill Staff}}

Her CD, Andrea McArdle on Broadway, was arranged and produced by her ex-husband, composer Edd Kalehoff, who also collaborated with her on an album of Christmas songs that was released in conjunction with her Family Christmas Show at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Christmas show, "Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas" ran for three Christmases and featured dancers, singers and acrobats from Encore Productions in South Jersey. McArdle also sang and appeared in several television promotional campaigns produced by Kalehoff, including WNBC-TV's We're 4 New York in 1992, and WEWS-TV's Give Me 5 in 1995. Divorced in August 2011, the couple had one daughter, Alexis Kalehoff (b.1988), a performer who has appeared with her mother in Les Miz.

McArdle returned to Annie at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California, as Miss Hannigan from October 29 - November 14, 2010.{{cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/143005-Andrea-McArdle-Will-Play-Miss-Hannigan-for-Musical-Theatre-Wests-Annie|title=Andrea McArdle Will Play Miss Hannigan for Musical Theatre West's 'Annie'|website=playbill.com|date=September 15, 2010|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=September 10, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910010800/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/143005-Andrea-McArdle-Will-Play-Miss-Hannigan-for-Musical-Theatre-Wests-Annie|url-status=bot: unknown}} She took part in the New York Musical Theatre Festival's (NYMF) production of Greenwood the Musical in fall 2011 along with her daughter Alexis Kalehoff and fellow Annie alumna Alicia Morton.

In November 2012, McArdle was the "guest star" in Newsical.{{cite web|url=http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-First-Look-at-Andrea-McArdle-in-NEWSICAL-20121120#|title=Photo Flash: First Look at Andrea McArdle in Newsical!|website=BroadwayWorld|date=November 20, 2012|first=Nicole|last=Rosky}}

File:Andrea McArdle - Annie 1977 (cropped).JPG

On April 2, 2014 Oceania Cruises{{Cite web|url=http://www.oceaniacruises.com/|title=Oceania Cruises - Cruise Vacations aboard Mid-Size Ships|access-date=2014-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409114000/http://www.oceaniacruises.com/|archive-date=2014-04-09 |url-status=dead}} announced a new "Life in the Theater"[https://www.oceaniacruises.com/documents/promotions/life-in-the-theater-flyer.pdf “Life in the Theater”] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408210858/https://www.oceaniacruises.com/documents/promotions/life-in-the-theater-flyer.pdf |date=April 8, 2014 }} oceaniacruises.com, April 8, 2014 series featuring McArdle, for select sailings starting with a voyage aboard Riviera on October 29, 2014.

In December 2015, McArdle starred in the Off-Broadway play 2 Across at St. Luke's Theatre along with Kip Gilman.{{cite web|last=Collins-Hughes|first=Laura|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/theater/review-andrea-mcardle-and-kip-gilman-puzzle-out-love-in-2-across.html?mcubz=1|title=Theater Review. Andrea Mcardle and Kip Gilman Puzzle Out Love in 2 Across|website=The New York Times|date=December 12, 2015}}

In May 2016, McArdle starred as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's Anything Goes. The show also featured Sally Struthers. The production opened at Gateway Playhouse (Bellport, New York), and later transferred to Ogunquit Playhouse. The production was directed by Jayme McDaniel, and choreographed by Jason Wise.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/nyregion/review-joyous-energy-fills-anything-goes-at-gateway-playhouse.html|title=Review: Joyous Energy Fills 'Anything Goes,' at Gateway Playhouse|last=Jacobson|first=Aileen|date=May 27, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 26, 2016}}

In November 2021, it was announced that McArdle would be playing Eleanor Roosevelt in NBC's Annie Live!, but she later had to drop out due to a family emergency.{{Cite news|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/original-annie-star-andrea-mcardle-joins-nbcs-annie-live-find-out-who-shell-play|title=Original Annie Star Andrea McArdle Joins NBC's Annie Live!: Find Out Who She'll Play|work=Playbill|first=Talaura|last=Harms|date=November 12, 2021|access-date=November 12, 2021}}{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/andrea-mcardle-annie-live-nbc-family-matter-1234880522/?fbclid=IwAR11STUrFdJ_-lrJM_SdnuDCD-135ZoZJIpUIWMbcG5nw3OS6yRktUNfz0w|title=Andrea McArdle Stepping Away From NBC's 'Annie Live!' Due To Family Matter|work=Deadline|first=Greg|last=Evans|date=November 24, 2021|access-date=November 25, 2021}} The character was subsequently written out, but McArdle does appear in the cast recording for the special.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Andrea was married to composer Edd Kalehoff from 1988 until they divorced in 2011.{{cite web|url=https://courant.com/hc-xpm/2011-04-10-hc-andrea-mcardle-urinetown-0410-20110410-story.html|title=Andrea McArdle Still Feisty After All These Years|date=April 10, 2011|website=Hartford Courant|first=Frank|last=Rizzo|accessdate=October 3, 2022}} She has a daughter, Alexis Kalehoff, who has appeared in many Broadway theatre productions.{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/mcardles-daughter-follows-in-mommys-footsteps-com-68259|title=McArdle's Daughter Follows in Mommy's Footsteps|website=Playbill|date=August 19, 1996|first=Katia|last=Lundy|accessdate=October 3, 2022}}

• 1977 – Theatre World Award – winner
• 1977 – Tony Award - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical – nominee

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• {{IBDB name|76718}}
• {{IMDb name|0564083}}
• [http://www.filmreference.com/film/61/Andrea-McArdle.html Biography and career at filmreference.com]

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Category:1963 births

Category:Living people

Category:American musical theatre actresses

Category:Actresses from New Rochelle, New York

Category:21st-century American women

Category:Actresses from Philadelphia