McGinnis and Hancock Will Star in Caird and Gordon's Daddy Long Legs Musical

By Kenneth Jones
October 5, 2009

Tony Award-winning Les Miserables director John Caird will direct Broadway's Megan McGinnis in the world premiere of his musical with Paul Gordon, Daddy Long Legs.

Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, CA, will open the 2009-2010 season with the musical with book by Caird and music and lyrics by Gordon; the writers collaborated on the Broadway musical Jane Eyre.

Previews begin Oct. 14 toward an Oct. 17 opening. Performances will play to Nov. 8. This is a co-production between Rubicon, Theatreworks in Palo Alto, CA; Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in Ohio; executive producer Michael Jackowitz; and David Elzer.

Caird, the Tony and Olivier Award-Winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, drew on the 1912 novel "Daddy Long Legs" by Jean Webster.

Gordon's musical, Emma, based on the Jane Austen novel, was co-produced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Theatreworks and St. Louis Rep.

According to Rubicon notes, "Set at the turn of the last century, Daddy Long Legs is a coming-of-age story about Jerusha Abbott, an orphan who is given an opportunity to develop her mind and spirit by an anonymous benefactor. A trustee of the John Grier Hall reads an essay by the young Jerusha and offers to send her to college. His only requirements are that Jerusha never know his identity, and that she write him monthly (though he will not respond). She sees him once in shadows and invents a nickname for her mysterious patron — Daddy Long Legs."

A six-piece offstage band will be under musical director Laura Berquist.

Jerusha is played by Broadway ingénue McGinnis, who was seen as Beth in Broadway's Little Women. Her other Broadway roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Lucille in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Eponine in the recent revival of Les Miserables (directed by John Caird), Parade and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Robert Adelman Hancock will play the long-legged Jervis Pendleton, continuing to develop the role he created during Rubicon's Fashion Forms Plays-in-Progress program. Hancock played Perchik in Rubicon's Fiddler on the Roof last season. Other credits include Sky in the national tour of Mamma Mia!, and regional productions of James Joyce's The Dead (Court Theatre, Chicago), The Fantasticks (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Hair (Hangar Theatre), the original cast of Route 66 (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre) and more.

The period sets and costumes for Daddy Long Legs are by Olivier Award winner David Farley, who recently received rave reviews for his inventive West End and Broadway designs for Sunday in the Park with George and who will design the upcoming Broadway revival of A Little Night Music. He is assisted by Teresa Scarano (props) and David "Spanky" Reynoso (hair and make-up). The design tam also includes lighting designer Paul Toben, sound designer Jonathan Burke.

For tickets, call (805) 667-2900. Or go to www.rubicontheatre.org.