The Two “Annies” of Washtenaw County

The Martin Charnin/Thomas Meehan musical Annie premiered on Broadway in 1977, featuring then 12-year-old actress Andrea McArdle in the title role. In late 2024, Dexter’s Encore Musical Theatre Company produced Annie, with Ellen Gruber, a 10-year-old fourth-grade student at Eberwhite Elementary School in Ann Arbor, in the lead role.

In June 2025, The Croswell Opera House in Adrian, staged Annie, with 11-year-old Caroline “Cici” Hubbard, a sixth-grade student at Chelsea’s Beach Middle School, playing the feisty lead actress.

Two Washtenaw County girls were cast as Annie, widely regarded as the premier role for a young actress. While bringing different talents and characteristics to the role, both Ellen and Cici shined in the spotlight. The Sun Times News sat down with both girls to learn what it was like for them to take on Annie, the title role in the smash musical production.

At Encore, Annie ran for thirty performances, with Gruber playing the role in 26 of 30 performances. Gruber’s understudy, Emersen Davis, portrayed the role in four performances. “That means I sang Tomorrow a total of 78 times”, Gruber said. Cici performed in all ten of the performances at The Croswell, including five performances in three days during the first week of  the show.

Cici and Ellen were asked how they dealt with the pressure of knowing that the success of the show rested on their shoulders. “I really didn’t think about it much,” Gruber said. “I knew that all of us in the show were there to support one another,” Cici added, “it means a lot, knowing that you have others around to help you.” Both credited other cast members for creating a dedicated team atmosphere, always helping each other out.

The role of Annie includes several “belting” numbers, including “Tomorrow.” “Singing Tomorrow is hard,” Cici said. “Because you’re belting the song (belting = singing in a loud, powerful voice), it can be hard on your throat.” Gruber agreed. “Tomorrow is hard on your throat. Putting the strength and emotion into the song requires effort and concentration.”

Both girls took steps to protect and preserve their voices. “I don’t sing much at home,” said Ellen. “I will also wear a mask at school so I don’t get sick, and I use my nebulizer before the show.” A nebulizer is a small machine that can turn medicine into a mist that can enter the lungs directly. “I limit my talking and singing at home,” said Cici. “My voice teacher gave me a series of warm-up exercises that I would do on my drive to The Croswell.” Cici also said, “I used my nebulizer and would perform a water bubbling exercise on the way home to cool down.”

Each actress found challenges in playing the character Annie. “Annie is optimistic, much more so than me”, Ellen said. “Despite everything about her situation, she is so optimistic.”

Hubbard also said that Annie talks differently than she does. “I found it awkward to say phrases that I just don’t say myself. I don’t go around saying ’Oh, gee!’ or ‘Oh, boy!’ Those are words I just never say.” Both did find similarities between themselves and Annie. Both said they are quick to try to cheer up friends who might be feeling down or sad.

At the start of the show, with other orphans on stage with her, Annie sings the emotionally challenging song “Maybe.”  Each was asked how they managed the emotions that went into the song.

“Maybe is both hopeful and sad,” said Ellen. “Throughout the entire show, Annie is hopeful, more hopeful than I am. So I had to be hopeful”. Cici said, “singing, I tried to maintain the balance between feeling sad about not having parents and always hopeful about someday finding my parents.”  Both girls, in every performance, masterfully sang the most emotional song of the show, using their “head voice” and not their “belting voices”.

So many rehearsals. So many performances. So many times singing the same songs. They were asked if they would sing Tomorrow if asked by a relative? Ellen laughed and said, “Of course, if a relative wanted to hear me sing Tomorrow, I would.”

Cici said she had run into this situation a week ago. “Recently, I was at my grandmother’s house fishing. My little cousin asked me to sing ‘Tomorrow.” So, after being told my grandmother really wanted to hear it, I said OK. So, I started to sing “tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ‘ya tomorrow and my cousin enthusiastically joined in singing with me.”

The young actresses were asked what other roles they hoped to play. Cici said, “I would love to play Matilda in ‘Matilda’ and Jack in ‘Into The Woods’ while I am young enough to play those roles.”  She continued, “When I get older, my dream roles are Velma Kelly or Roxy Hart in ‘Chicago’ and any of the queens in ‘Six’ or Jenna or Dawn in ‘Waitress.”  Ellen said, “I would love to play Lydia in ‘Beetlejuice because ‘Dead Mom’ (from Beetlejuice) is my new favorite song to sing. I would also love to play Jane Seymour in Six or Angelica in Hamilton.”

Ellen and Cici were asked what they would like to be doing as young adults. Without hesitation, both responded, “singing on Broadway.” Broadway would be a dream come true for the two young Washtenaw County thespians. Both recognized that the road to the Broadway district involves hard work and dedication. Voice lessons. Dance lessons. Practice. And taking care of their voices and bodies.

Ellen indicated she is a member of the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus and will perform a winter concert in Royal Oak on 12/14 as well as “The Hobbit”, the spring opera on 5/2/26. Cici has been cast in the lead role of Frog in “A Year With Frog & Toad” with Horizon Performing Arts. In addition, she has been cast in the role of Young Elsa in the Encore Musical Theatre Company’s holiday show “Frozen.” Frozen will run 12/4/25 – 1/11/26.

Two pre-adolescent girls, living in different towns in Washtenaw County. Ordinary girls in so many ways, doing so many ordinary things. Yet, both possess an extraordinary gift. They have a singing voice that captures the attention of a theatre full of people. A voice that can move an audience to tears.

Their voices sing softly and sweetly, packed with emotion. Or boldly belt out a song, with the power of an adult. They can be sweet. They can be brash. Whatever the number requires, Ellen Gruber and Caroline “Cici” Hubbard deliver it.

It will be an incredibly fun journey watching the paths they take that will lead them to NYC.