Daddy Long Legs
January 19–21, 2018
The Majestic Theatre, Dallas
From the Tony®-Award winning director of Les Misérables comes the intimate new musical Daddy Long Legs.
Based on the classic novel which inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire—a beloved tale in the spirit of Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, and “Downton Abbey”—this heartwarming Cinderella story about a witty and winsome young woman and her mysterious benefactor has charmed audiences of all ages from Los Angeles to London. Critics are cheering: Daddy Long Legs has “echoes of She Loves Me and top-notch performances” and “is one of the most enthralling, entertaining and moving love stories on the American musical theater stage.”
Daddy Long Legs features music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated composer/lyricist, Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre), and Tony-winning librettist/director, John Caird (Les Misérables).
Lyric Stage’s regional premiere starred Samantha McHenry, last seen at Lyric Stage as Diana Deveraux in Of Thee I Sing, as Jerusha and Lyric Stage favorite Christopher J. Deaton, most recently Captain Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as Jervis. Rick Estes directed the production with music direction by Scott Eckert. Scenic design was by Randel Wright and lighting design was by Julie Simmons.
Daddy Long Legs is a “rags-to-riches” tale of newfound love.
Jerusha Abbott is the “Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home” until a mysterious benefactor decides to send her to college to be educated as a writer. Required to write him a letter once a month, she is never to know the benefactor’s identity – so she invents one for him: Daddy Long Legs. Although she knows that he will never respond to her letters, she grows more and more fond of this elusive and kindly “old” gentleman. But another relationship soon begins to develop in Jerusha’s life. Jervis Pendleton is the well-do-do, “youngish” uncle of one of Jerusha’s roommates, who introduces her to a world of literature, travel and adventure. Through her correspondence with Daddy Long Legs and her growing intimacy with Jervis, Jerusha’s letters chronicle her emergence as a delightfully independent “New American Woman.” Yet, there is one startling fact that Jerusha has yet to uncover—a fact that will change her life forever.
Samantha McHenry and Christopher J. Deaton in Lyric Stage’s regional premier of DADDY LONG LEGS. Photo: Michael C. Foster.
Daddy Long Legs: Theater Jones review
A Deliciously Sweet, Two-Hankie Show
Dallas—Daddy Long Legs, a two-person musical based on Jean Webster’s early-20th-century chick-lit novel of the same name, proved to be a deliciously sweet, two-hankie show in its regional premiere by Lyric Stage at the Majestic Theatre Friday night.
On the surface, it’s a Cinderella/Pygmalion sort of plot: Jerusha Abbott, a clever orphan girl, writes promising poems and stories, which attract the notice of one of her orphanage’s trustees, Jervis Pendleton. Without having met her, Jervis offers to put her through college under the condition that she write him a letter every month to report her progress and that he will remain anonymous. She assumes he’s elderly, and pours out her heart to him in the letters; he, actually a handsome young man, becomes intrigued by the letters and manages to meet her without revealing his identity as her benefactor. Attraction, frustration, and, ultimately, love ensue.
Playwright John Caird (whose credits include co-writing the English adaptation of Les Misérables, and the world premiere of The Phoenix, about Mozart librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, at Houston Grand Opera next season) managed not only to create a constantly engaging and—like the novel that inspired it—entirely epistolary script. He meanwhile turned the charmingly comical and time-worn plot into a meaningful—dare one say profound?—parable of the development of romantic intimacy. Each of the two protagonists is wise in his/her own way, and foolish in his/her own way—which, of course, ultimately makes them a perfect couple. The unlikely plot, indeed, provides a vehicle for exploring the issue of revelation and concealment that are part of any developing romance—or any functional human relationship, for that matter.
Christopher J. Deaton portrays Jervis as believably aristocratic and convincingly human at the same time, while Samantha McHenry is appealingly but always politely energetic as Jerusha. Both have attractive voices well-suited to this intimate musical, though McHenry tends to overuse a slight catch in her voice at the beginnings of phrases.
Paul Gordon’s score, while not particularly innovative or melodically inspired, provides a calmly elegant foundation, with a compact trio led by Scott Eckert accompanying from the pit. From where I sat, amplification—a tricky issue for a work like this in a 1700-seat theater—was clear but unobtrusive; the venue is about as large as one would want for what is essentially a chamber musical.
Gordon’s lyrics produce some memorable moments. The little act-one triptych of “Like Other Girls,” “Freshman Year Studies,” and “Things I Didn’t Know” forms a nice comical series of catalog songs, while “The Secret of Happiness” provides a calm, subtle anthem for the show. Randel Wright’s sets, dominated by an impossibly tall bookcase and tall, floating windows, communicate an aura of intimate spaciousness, while Catherine Carpenter Cox’s costumes silently narrate Jerusha’s character growth from orphan to independent adult. Staging under director Richard Estes likewise communicates the calm energy and humor of the story.
Now 10 years out from its premiere at the Rubicon Theatre in California, produced with a consortium of other regional theaters with intervening success off-Broadway in New York and in London’s West End, Daddy Long Legs makes its mark not by shock, spectacle, or riveting social statement—but as a quiet, appealing romance, here presented by Lyric Stage in a beautifully appropriate production.
Daddy Long Legs: The Column review
DADDY LONG LEGS
Regional Premiere
Book by John Caird, music and lyrics by Paul Gordon
Directed by Rick Estes
Musical Direction by Scott Eckert
Scenic Design by Randel Wright
Lighting Design by Julie Simmons
CAST
Jerusha Abbott—Samantha McHenry
Jervis Pendleton—Christopher J. Deaton
Reviewed Performance: 1/19/2018
Reviewed by John Garcia, Senior Chief Critic/Editor/Founder for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN
Dallas’s Lyric Stage has earned a national reputation and critical acclaim in producing new musicals for their audiences. For this past season they even moved to a new theater, the golden, art deco historic Majestic Theater in downtown Dallas. And now they present the Regional premiere of the two person musical, Daddy Long Legs (DLL). DLL is based on the novel of the same name by Jean Webster written in 1912. It was first put on the stage boards at the Rubicon Theatre in California in October 2009. Four years later the next mounting was in London’s West End in October 2012. In September 2015 it made its Off-Broadway debut where it would go on to receive Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Musical. The production not only had a successful open-end run, it received positive reviews from the New York critics. The story is about Jerusha Abbott (Samantha McHenry) who is the “Oldest Orphan in the John Grier Home” until an anonymous benefactor (Christopher J. Deaton ) sees her potential as a writer and decides to send her to college. In exchange for her education, Jersusha is required to write him letters throughout her time at school. She is never to know her benefactor’s identity, so she makes one up: Daddy Long Legs. She gives him this nickname because of his long, spindly, body frame. Although she knows that he will never respond to her notes, she grows more and more fond and appreciative of this mysterious, kind man. Jerusha’s letters chronicle her transformation from a naive orphan girl to a strong, confident woman and an unexpected love story.When it comes to directors you can really see their technique and artistry when there is less on the stage, i.e. actors, scenery etc. This regional premiere is directed by Rick Estes. Alas there is some stiffness and repetitive within his staging and blocking. Both actors for the most part stay on their respective play areas, or make a direct path to downstage center. However, Estes does a superlative job in bringing out natural, honest, performances from both Ms. McHenry and Mr. Deaton. There is not a hint of false emotion and the subtext flows from both actors. Estes succeeds wonderfully in allowing his two actors truly feel the lyrics in every song.
Randel Wright’s scenic design is quite interesting. For Jerusha Abbott he has a raked stage with large wooden window panes hanging from the fly rails. For Jervis Pendleton Wright has step units that are sharp in triangles leading up to a beautiful library covered in tasteful bric-n-brac. Behind this is a massive towering bookcase.
Paul Gordon’s score is an eclectic collection of songs, mostly ballads. There is a faint hint of Sondheim in a couple of the songs. But there is soft pop, modern Broadway ballad, and even country. The score could use some editing in both acts, especially in Act One. Nonetheless there are plenty of songs that soared into the gold covered ceilings of the Majestic theater. Including Who Is This Man, She Thinks I’m Old, Things I Didn’t Know, The Color of Your Eyes, The Man I’ll Never Be, All This Time, and Charity.
Samantha McHenry and Christopher J. Deaton deliver resplendent performances. Both display not a hint of modernism behavior. Their body posture, diction, and mannerisms stay firmly in 1912. Their arc to their chemistry is extremely believable that just fills your heart. Both actors focus on each other’s subtext within the lyrics thus allowing the audience sincerely feels their emotions. Both have luxurious singing voices. Both performers have an armful of solos, plus duets that are sprinkled throughout the evening.
McHenry has a powerful, haunting, and deeply moving monologue in Act Two in which she reveals to her Daddy Long Legs her affections for someone else. McHenry engulfs her heart within her pain that just devastates you. All alone with a lone light shining on her, she holds the audience in the palm of her hands as her eyes well up in tears.
Christopher J. Deaton delivers his best work that I have seen him do in this production. He wears his characterization like a second skin. Deaton also happens to have the best song of the entire night titled “Charity.” For this ballad that has a country flavor, Deaton’s tenor vocals soar and glide within the song with roaring force, then subside to a soft falsetto—just an exquisite solo that became the vocal highlight of the evening.
Daddy Long Legs is an intimate piece of musical theater, which is not the norm for Lyric Stage. But that’s what I so greatly admire and respect about this theater company. They will do a war horse musical, but then do a completely new musical that no one has done in the Metroplex. That is the ONLY way you can make your audiences and season subscribers grow—to show them new, fresh, unique musicals. I never would have seen Daddy Long Legs had Lyric Stage not produced it. Want to stretch your artistic minds? Then I strongly suggest you catch Lyric Stage’s Daddy Long Legs before it closes this Sunday!