On Theater:

They’ve been looking forward to this one for the better part of the past year, even when the title of the show couldn’t be officially announced but clues were dropped all over the place.

Now the Huntington Beach Playhouse is just about ready to showcase 28 performers in its summer musical, “Annie.” And a dozen of those roles will be for girls younger than 14.

For the first time in memory, the playhouse has selected two Huntington Beach locations for its tryouts next week. All youngsters seeking orphans’ roles will report to the Playhouse Annex on Sunday, while grown-ups will be heard Monday in the Maddy Room of the Huntington Beach Central Library.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it on the date specified for your age, director Stephen Reifenstein assures prospective performers. All candidates are welcome to try out on either date.

Auditions for the girls (including Annie) are set for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Annex, the playhouse’s rehearsal warehouse at 18411 Gothard St. Those vying for adult roles will be seen and heard at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Maddy Room at 7111 Talbert Ave.

“Annie,” based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, first surfaced in the funny papers in 1933. The Broadway musical arrived in 1977 and ran for a theater-record two years.

Most people (certainly most theatergoers) are familiar with the plucky, red-haired orphan who escapes the clutches of the gin-soaked Miss Hannigan, operator of a seedy orphan asylum, to capture the heart of zillionaire Oliver Warbucks and his assistant, Miss Farrell.

And who hasn’t listened to the show’s anthem, “Tomorrow”? The score also includes lesser-remembered numbers like “Easy Street,” “Maybe” and “N.Y.C.” Another show stopper is Miss Hannigan’s boozy anthem “Little Girls.”

Following the tryouts, callbacks will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday by invitation only. The show will run June 25 to July 25, with performances Wednesdays through Sundays in the Library Theater. Because of the length of the run, the young girls’ roles will be double cast.

Reifenstein heads a production team that includes musical director Erik Przytulski and choreographer Amanda Murphy. Additional information may be obtained by e-mailing the director at hbplayhouse@gmail.com.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.