Rooster & Lily

Rooster Hannigan is Miss Hannigan's brother, a small-time con artist with big-time charm. Lily St. Regis is his girlfriend, a dizzy blonde who thinks she is a lot smarter than she actually is. Together they cook up a scheme to impersonate Annie's parents and collect the reward from Warbucks. They are the slinky, scheming double act that gives the show its villain energy, and Easy Street is their showstopper.

Personality for Dance

Rooster moves like a man who has talked his way out of trouble his whole life. He is smooth, slippery, and always performing. He leans in close, he winks, he points with his whole hand like a used car salesman. Lily moves like she is on a runway but keeps tripping. She is all hair flips, hip swivels, and exaggerated femininity, constantly adjusting her appearance and checking if anyone is watching. Together they feed off each other's energy. He leads the scheme, she amplifies it. They finish each other's gestures and mirror each other's movements, a matched pair of lovable crooks.

The Outfit

Top

Rooster wears a loud patterned shirt, think 1930s hustler, with a cheap-looking suit jacket. The colours are slightly wrong, a mustard yellow or a too-bright blue. He is trying to look wealthy and missing by a mile. Lily wears a tight, flashy top or dress in leopard print, red, or hot pink. Everything is slightly too much, too tight, too shiny, too low-cut.

Bottom

Rooster in pinstripe trousers that do not quite match the jacket. Slightly too short, showing his socks. Lily in a fitted skirt or dress that restricts her movement just enough to make her walk funny, which adds to the comedy.

Accessories

Rooster needs a fedora that he tips, removes, and uses as a prop constantly. A fake gold watch, a toothpick, and a comb. Lily needs oversized sunglasses, a feather boa or cheap fur stole, and a small handbag she clutches like it contains diamonds.

Shoes

Rooster in two-tone shoes or scuffed dress shoes. Something with a sole that lets him slide and glide during Easy Street. Lily in heels that are slightly too high, giving her a tottering walk. Character shoes with a heel work, or actual heels if the performer can dance in them safely.

Hair

Rooster has slicked-back hair with too much product, parted sharply. A thin moustache drawn on if possible. Lily has big, over-styled blonde hair. Curled, teased, sprayed to within an inch of its life. A wig is ideal because you can go as big as you want.

Special Details

When Rooster and Lily dress up as Annie's parents to fool Warbucks, they need a quick costume change into something more respectable. He puts on a nicer jacket, she tones down the makeup. But neither can quite pull it off. Something is always slightly wrong. His tie is crooked, her wig is shifting. The comedy is in the effort.

Movement Tips

Easy Street is the number that defines this pair. The choreography should be slippery and jazzy, full of slides, finger snaps, and slinky walks. They weave around Miss Hannigan, pulling her into their scheme. Build it like a sales pitch that gets more outrageous as it goes.
Rooster and Lily should always be in physical contact or reaching for each other. Arms linked, hands on shoulders, leaning against each other. They operate as a single unit. When one moves, the other follows half a beat later.
Rooster uses his fedora as a dance prop. He tips it, spins it, tosses it between hands, places it on Lily's head. Choreograph the hat into at least three moments during Easy Street.
Lily copies Rooster's movements but gets them slightly wrong, which creates natural comedy. He does a smooth slide, she wobbles. He tips his hat, she tips her sunglasses and they fall off. The mismatch is the joke.
When they are pretending to be respectable parents, their movement becomes stiff and unnatural. They are performing normalcy and failing. They keep slipping back into their slinky default.

Age Recommendations

Best for ages 14-18 or adult dancers. This pair needs two performers with natural chemistry and strong comedic timing. Cast dancers who already work well together or who can develop a double-act dynamic in rehearsals. Strong jazz skills help with the slippery Easy Street choreography. The roles reward personality and commitment to the bit over technical perfection.