Peoples Playhouse’s production of Daddy Long Legs is playing at the Mornington and Mount Martha Anglican Church (4 Albert Street, Mornington) until November 16, 2024.
Tickets start at $35 and are available via peoplesplayhouse.com
Based on the 1912 novel of the same name by Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs is the story of Jerusha Abbott, the oldest orphan at the John Grier Home, who is selected by a mysterious benefactor to attend a local women’s college under the instruction that she must send him a letter once a month which he will never answer. Unbeknown to Jerusha, her donor is wealthy philanthropist Jervis Pendleton under the guise of John Smith.
I personally found it comparable to Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, whichalso has a cast of only two performers but whereas that runs narratively forwards and backwards, Daddy Long Legs runs chronologically from 1908 to 1912 (or Jerusha’s college duration).
The story is told through written and read letters between Jerusha and Jervis. The two eventually do come together at various times in the production and are a welcome reprieve as I longed for a change in the narrative, something, anything, to break up the monotony. This isn’t a fault of this production, but it would benefit from shortened or tightened script during act one.
The musical relies heavily on the brilliant performances of Madeline Connolly and Jordan Poyser. It only works due to the actor’s natural chemistry and evident respect and trust in each other. Connolly essentially does most of the heavy lifting as she never leaves the stage and is given a mountainous tonne of dialogue and lyrics to get through.
A seasoned performer in her own right, Connolly perfectly captures Jerusha’s enthusiasm, joy and nativity as a young girl all the way through her transformation into a confident graduate. Her comedic timing is also on point, as is Poyser’s. As Jerusha imagines him to be old and gray, the young and handsome Poyser spins around with perfect timing “She Thinks I’m Old”.
Considering the small space they had to work with, the set design by director Leah Osburn, Trevor Osburn, Stelios Papoutsidis and Chris Churchward is well thought out. The left side is dedicated to Jervis’ office space in Manhattan with a full-sized desk, bookshelf and typewriter. The right acts as Jerusha’s various bedrooms with trunks, chair and closet. A makeshift bed also doubles as a dining room table. Amongst the cityscape backdrop is the band comprising musical director Damien Mizzi on piano, Frank Nigro on guitar and Lore Burns on cello.
Mention must be also given to Katie Karandais who designed the programme to look like an envelope, complete with wax seal. It truly is a wonderful keepsake.
The music and lyrics by Paul Gordon were what initially drew me to the show and it’s easy to get swept up in the romanticism of it all. While Daddy Long Legs would rank the sweetest and most romantic show I’ve seen, there’s a lot of conflict and humour to please most theatregoers.
After their recent success of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical (which was also the Australian premiere), I believe Peoples Playhouse is one amateur theatre company to watch, especially if they continue taking chancing on relatively lesser known productions.
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Photography by Stelios Papoutsidis and Katie Karandais/Facebook
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 