Daddy Long Legs

Many will fondly remember the novel Daddy Long Legs written by Jean Webster in 1912. The story of a young orphan, Jerusha (Judy) Abbot, who impresses one of the wealthy trustees of the John Grier Orphanage. He pays her tuition and a monthly allowance to attend college and become a writer. She sees him briefly at the orphanage as an elongated shadowy silhouette and dubs him Daddy Long Legs. His only requirement is that she must write to him and tell of her learning and her experiences. At college, she meets Sallie and comes into contact with Sallie’s uncle, Jervis Pendleton, not knowing he is her secret benefactor. Over the years, Jerusha writes of her discoveries in literature, adventure, and love.

Peoples Playhouse, a Victorian Mornington Peninsula-based theatre/musical company, has been interspersing bigger shows, such as the 2024 Diary of a Wimpy Kid, with smaller musicals, such as Daddy Long Legs and The Next Five Years (2022). Small-cast shows are often overlooked, so it's great to see smaller shows represented. They presented Daddy Long Legs at the Bellamy Hall in Albert Street, Mornington. It was a great venue for an intimate show like this one.

Director Leah Osburn returned as a creative to People’s Playhouse for the seventh time. Using a fixed set and minimal blocking, her dab hand avoided interfering with the book's flow and the music while ensuring it never became static. There are challenges to a two-handed show, and Leah’s clear vision worked very well.

Damien Mizzi, the Musical Director, has previously worked with the company as MD for Kisses and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He displayed sure control of his band. They supported the singers at all times and sounded great. Including the cello with the piano and guitar gave the sound a beautiful tenderness and sounded like a larger band.

Big congratulations to the sound designer and sound operators for the great balance. The costumes were on point for New England's turn of the century. The lighting was subtle and warm. The program’s design made to look like period correspondence was nicely done. Everything incorporated beautifully.

With a two-hander musical, so much more is on the shoulders of the actors, and the two leads were outstanding.

Madeline Connelly, who played Jerusha, did an amazing job of changing the character’s vocal tone for lyrics, dialogue, and body movements to reflect the age as her character aged from teen to adult. Madeline was on stage effectively the entire show but never flagged in energy. She has experience on stage and off and boasts numerous Lyrebird Award nominations.

Jordan Poyser played Jervis Pendleton, having recently played Frank Abagnale Jr in Catch Me If You Can. He is a versatile and dynamic performer who commits to all roles. He also has been nominated by the Lyrebird Awards and the Music Theatre Guild.

Madeline and Jordan sang brilliantly, and their voices blended nicely. They displayed an excellent understanding of their characters, ensuring each word of dialogue and lyrics was conveyed to the captivated audience. Their chemistry was nicely done. Both described the Daddy Long Legs as dream roles in a dream show.

The musical play version of Daddy Long Legs was created by Tony Award-nominated composer-lyricist Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre) and Tony-winning librettist-director John Caird (Les Misérables). The show premiered in 2009 after touring regionally in the USA, opening on the West End in 2012 and off-Broadway in 2015. The novel has been seen on stage and screen many times, including the loose interpretations of Curly Top with Shirley Temple and Daddy Long Legs with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron.

Congratulations to Peoples Playhouse and the team for providing an opportunity to see this lovely show.

Jane Court