FORT BRAGG, CA., 2/17/25 — Gloriana Musical Theatre is presenting Daddy Long Legs, the story of an orphan who is sent to college by an unknown benefactor to study to become a writer.
The story has had many lives. Based on a 1912 novel of the same name by Jean Webster, the tale inspired a 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. It has been produced in regional theaters since 2009 and was the first off-Broadway musical to be live-streamed.
In this production at Gloriana Studios in Fort Bragg’s Boatyard Shopping Center, Maria Ramos plays Jerusha Abbott, the oldest orphan at the John Grier Home, somewhere on the East Coast. The college scholarship has one condition—Jerusha must write a letter to her benefactor every month. She names him Daddy Long Legs based on a single glimpse of a tall man leaving the orphanage just before she learns of her good fortune.
Zach Taylor plays the benefactor, Jervis Pendleton, a wealthy and idealistic young man who spots something special in Jerusha and decides to give her a chance. The story unfolds through Jerusha and Jervis’ letters, as Jerusha grows into a remarkably modern young woman, and Jervis realizes the problems he’s created in simultaneously befriending her while keeping his role as her patron a secret.
With music and lyrics by Tony-nominated composer Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre) and a book by Tony-winning playwright John Caird (Les Misérables), the production keeps both pace and suspense. The two actors, accompanied by pianist Lenny Kaplan, nailed the preview show. It doesn’t hurt that the two are a couple in real life.
Cinderella tales never get old.
True to the show’s theme, the preview raised money for Gloriana’s own scholarship programs, which provide funds for a local high school student to study performing arts in college and help younger students take classes and workshops in the Fort Bragg space.
The show runs Feb. 21-March 2, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased at the Gloriana Musical Theatre website.