Had Jay-Z, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith — the producers of the new “Annie” — simply replaced the iconic red-haired kid with Oscar-nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis, it would have been enough.

Think that "Annie" is just for kids? The 1977 powerhouse musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin is a favorite of young audiences, surely, but rarely in its history has it seemed ...