Ahead of Annie Live! airing December 2 at 8 PM ET on NBC, the cast sat down with Playbill to discuss their excitement in preparing for the show—from the holiday ending to the significance of family. Watch Celina Smith, Megan Hilty, Tituss Burgess, Nicole Scherzinger, and Harry Connick, Jr. above.

Annie Live! stars Smith as Annie, Connick, Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, Scherzinger as Grace, Burgess as Rooster, Hilty as Lily St. Regis. Also in the cast are Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, Alan Toy as FDR, Felice Kakaletris as Molly, Cate Elefante as Kate, Sophie Knapp as July, Tessa Frascogna as Tessie, Arwen Monzon-Sanders as Duffy, and Audrey Cymone as Pepper.

Annie premiered on Broadway in 1977, featuring a score by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. Based on the Depression-era newspaper comic series, the musical centers on its plucky title character and her journey from orphanage to the opulent Warbucks mansion.