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Forum Archives - Annie Warbucks Q&A

Elisabeth Zaremba, Kathryn's sister, answered some questions which were posted on the Forum. The questions and answers have been edited for clarity.

When the show closed off-Broadway, how were you notified?

I am pretty sure that the company's general manager posted notice on the call board. They also called a cast meeting and told us all what was going on. I think we only received notice a week or two beforehand. We closed after 200 performances. It was sad though.

Were there any rules you and your sister, or any of the other orphans, had to follow, such as bed times, where you could and couldn't go, etc.?

There weren't really any rules, other than staying out of the sun. We were supposed to be pale, since we were playing orphans in winter! But it was funny because during previews Martin took Kathryn and I to his house in the country for the weekend and we got to swim and play all weekend long. We went back with pink faces! Other than that we didn't have any rules. They couldn't really give a bedtime because we didn't leave the theatre until late, so as long as we were rested it was okay. The producers put Kathryn and I in Professional Children's School so on days that we had a show the night before we didn't have to go to school until 10:30 AM, and we didn't go at all on Matinee days.

What was the funniest thing that happened while the show was playing?

There were SO many funny parts. What kind of stuff do you want to know?

Did Martin or anyone else give you "cast" gifts?

For opening night, we got gifts from all the creative team and producers. The producers gave each cast member a framed opening night poster signed by the creative team. (Mine is hanging on my wall.) Charles Strouse gave us all baseball hats with the Annie Warbucks logo hand-painted on them. Peter Gennaro gave us heart-shaped silver picture frames. Thomas Meehan gave us necklaces with our character names in block letters. Martin gave Kathryn an Annie necklace that he has specially made for his Annies. I don't remember what he gave everyone else. For my birthday he gave me a red Italian leather wallet with "Annie Warbucks" imprinted on it and a necklace with my name spelled out on it.

Were the actors in Annie Warbucks paid lower salaries because you were off-Broadway?

We were an Equity company so we were paid Equity scale. Off-Broadway does make less than Broadway, but the scale is similar. The principal actors make more than chorus, etc. But it was Equity scale.

How old were you and your sister during Annie Warbucks? How old are you now?

Kathryn was 9 when she was cast as Annie and I was 13. We turned 10 and 14 during the run. Kathryn is 16 (will be 17 on September 24) and I am 20 (will be the big 21 on September 29).

What role did you play?

I played the orphan Tessie and was Pepper, Peaches and Second CG understudy.

How many sets of orphans went through the company?

Only one set of orphans! We only ran from July until January. We only replaced one child, and that
was the swing. Larissa Auble replaced Alexis Fabricant.

Were you and Kathryn originally cast as a package or did one come after the other?

The show was originally supposed to be on Broadway. At that point there were still six orphans. Lauren Gaffney was still Annie. Kathryn was automatically cast after the Annie Warbucks tour in the role of Duffy. I auditioned in January 1993 and was cast as Tessie. When the show got bumped off-Broadway the cast was cut in half. Kathryn moved up into the Annie role and I, luckily, got to keep my role as Tessie.

Funny story about Kathryn's Annie audition: When Martin called her to come to New York to audition for the Annie role, she didn't want to go! She was supposed to dissect a frog in her Kaleidoscope class (accelerated program), and she didn't want to miss it! My mom had to bribe her to go. Of course she was thrilled when she got the part!

Were you surprised that you and your sister were cast? What was that like?

It was AWESOME that we were both cast. A lot easier on the family with the move and everything. Looking back I feel so fortunate to have gotten to share that experience with my sister. We were truly blessed. But like any sisterhood/sibling rivalry we definately had our moments during the run!

Is Kathryn still friends with Ashley Olsen?

Kathryn moved back from California several years ago. I don't think she has spoken to the twins in quite a while.