When You Acquire a “Trademark” as a Child

I never had any interest in an acting career, but one of my childhood friends had a passion for the theater that survives today, as she now writes plays rather than acting in them. She worked some as a child, and one of the shows she auditioned for was the initial production of “Annie.” She got cut early on, and the role of course eventually went to Andrea McArdle, who still to this day has to sing that damn song whenever she gives concerts. She reports here that one way she deals with this is by seeking out new arrangements. She sang amazingly professionally as a child. And also as a young adult. I wonder if she performs it on autopilot these days; one couldn’t really blame her if she did.