Kristin Vigard was originally chosen to play Annie, but after only a few performances, she was replaced by Andrea McArdle, who gave the role a tougher veneer (reminiscent of the Our Gang kids) while conveying vulnerability without sentimentality. And McArdle's belting exceeded everyone's wildest imagination. She transformed the writers' initial conception of Annie as a spirited but vocally average little girl into a Broadway diva.
2020, James Leve, “Little girls, big voices: Annie”, in Donelle Ruwe, James Leve, editors, Children, Childhood, and Musical Theater, Routledge, page 121