Welcome to a precious little jewel of a musical, Daddy Long Legs. Here is an intimate, sweet and sentimental two-hander that puts no demands on its intended audience other than to believe in an improbable romance. Without being cloying and, surprisingly, without ever being boring during its somewhat lengthy running time of two hours and twenty minutes including an intermission, this wholesome almost-to-a-fault musical is the work of creative team John Caird (writer and director) and Paul Gordon (score).
The result of the pairing of renowned Britisher Caird (Les Miz, Nicholas Nickleby) and Gordon (Jane Eyre) is a familiar, if a bit quaint, theatrical form: epistles. The beauty of it is that it admirably enhances even as it adheres to its source: Jean Webster’s 1912 novel about a sorrowful orphaned girl with a talent for writing and the older man who sponsors her education and indirectly earns her love and devotion. A touch icky you might be thinking, and it apparently seemed so 43 years later in a largely re-written 1955 musical film adaptation that starred Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. And that version was just one of many that seem to have fascinated numerous stage and screen adaptors in the years between.
As numerous dramas and musicals have used correspondence to tell a story, there is no revelatory aspect here to this style. But Caird’s adaptation is a delight, and his transposition to the stage is deft. But what stands out is the especially lovely and persuasive performance by Megan McGinnis as the foundling Jerusha, as does the ingratiatingly sturdy performance by Paul Alexander Nolan as her benefactor Jervis, both whom sing well and expressively and make the growing and purposely unsettling romance seem totally natural and constantly affecting.
As there is no hint of any perverse sexual undercurrent or any suggestion that the relationship between Jerusha and Jervis is born of any psychological aberration, audiences, particularly I suspect teen-aged girls, will quickly succumb to the anxieties and the youthful ardor of a young budding writer as she journeys from loneliness to self-assuredness and personal fulfillment. Built solely on the letters sent by Jerusha to Jervis and never the reverse, the plot can only be perceived as an unexpectedly charming conceit.
The collaborators have divided the 24 musical and lyrical assignments well between the two, although it certainly is Ms McGinnis’s showcase to dominate - which she does with effervescence and ingenuity. . . much of the latter credit going to Caird.
Hidden from sight in a loft, the three-piece band provides fine instrumental support to the abundant, virtually sung-through score. It is more than listenable without seeking to achieve a level of sophistication that might have otherwise challenged the delicacy of the plot. In one instance, the wit in the lyrics early in Act II to “My Manhattan,” as enthusiastically sung by Nolan, recalls (and without being derivative) that famous paean to the glories of NYC, “I’ll Take Manhattan” by Rodgers and Hart. Pointed, poignant, and plot-propelling arias play an integral part in bridging the various divides between the two personalities over the course of four years.
Naturally intrigued by the generosity of this man whom she calls “Daddy Long Legs” (for a reason I won’t spoil), the once-despondent Jerusha eagerly puts her heart and soul into becoming all she can be as a writer during her college years fully paid for by Jervis. This is a goal that once seems beyond her reach in the environs of the John Grier Home for Orphans.
Nolan, who was widely praised as Pasha/Strelnikov in the short-lived Doctor Zhivago, is perfectly matched against McGinnis, who has played Jerusha since its 2009 premiere at the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura. But it is for McGinnis to basically define and secure the sparkling tone of the musical. Pretty with billowing curly hair and seducing us with her joyously expressive face, she is hard not to fall in love with.
In some ways Nolan has the harder task during Act I as his character’s intention is to simply be her financial support, but without letting his true identity be known, referring to himself as Mr. John Smith. Only when he finally appears as the very real rich uncle of a classmate do we get a glimmer of his true reasons for maintaining his false identity. The credibility factor is increased with this casting (and I’m glad of it) as Nolan is good-looking, physically trim, and likely only twice her age. Nolan is also great fun to watch as he plays his dual role with increasing gusto attempting with diminishing returns to keep his secret.
The very fine unit setting designed by David Farley is also wonderfully practical as it accommodates a spacious, heavily book-stocked Manhattan study, Jerusha’s room in the orphanage, as well as other indoor and outdoor locations. . . with great enhancement from the lighting designer Paul Toben. The use of a steamer trunks as props that can be turned from a bed into a mountain are part of the fun in the staging. Farley also designed the early 20th century wardrobe that is often changed with a blink of an eye. I also spotted many eyes moist with tears as the story reached its inevitable end.
