Daddy Long Legs at the Empress

I fell in love with the musical Daddy Long Legs when I saw it at HCT last year so, when I learned that it was being performed at the Empress Theatre, I immediately bought a ticket!  I saw the show last night and it was absolutely delightful!  At the turn of the century, Jerusha Abbott (Maura Monson) is the oldest orphan at the John Grier Home but a young and wealthy Trustee named Jervis Pendleton (Bryan Buhler), impressed by one of her essays about living at the orphanage, decides to send her to college so she can become a writer.  He will pay her tuition and all of her living expenses on the condition that he remain anonymous and that she writes him a letter each month to inform him of her progress.  Not knowing his name, she decides to call him Daddy Long Legs in reference to the tall shadow she saw as he left the orphanage.  Her letters are enchanting to Jervis so, against his better judgment, he meets her without revealing that he is her benefactor and falls in love with her.  Jerusha also falls in love with Jervis but, when she pours her heart out about him to Daddy Long Legs in her letters, it creates much confusion as he struggles to decide whether to reveal himself to her.  I really love the character of Jerusha because I identify with her so much.  She has such a thirst for knowledge and new experiences and I really enjoyed Monson's characterization because she imbues her with such a sense of wide-eyed wonder.  I also enjoyed Buhler's portrayal of Jervis because he visibly comes undone over Jerusha's letters, especially whenever she mentions the brother of one of her classmates.  They both have incredible voices and I was so impressed by their performances because the two of them literally carry the show entirely by themselves and do not miss a beat with the demanding songs, rapid-fire dialogue, and imaginative blocking.  The set is really clever and highly effective because it consists of an elaborate study for Jervis, to show how set in his ways he is, and a minimal space full of movable boxes filled with props which become multiple settings for Jerusha, to show her transformation throughout the show.  A live band, featuring Martha Haddock on piano, Risa Bean on cello, and Spence Kellog on guitar, performs on a platform above the stage and they are fantastic.  I love all of the music in this show but my favorite songs are "Like Other Girls," "Things I Didn't Know," "I'm a Beast," and "The Secret of Happiness."  I had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end and, even if you don't know anything about this show, I highly recommend getting a ticket because it might just become one of your favorites.  This is a limited engagement with only a few shows left so act quickly (go here for tickets).

Note:  I first discovered the Empress Theatre several years ago when they produced See How They Run.  I played Miss Skillon in high school so I just had to see it and it was so much fun!