PCPA musical

PCPA musical "Daddy Long Legs" takes the stage in Santa Maria

Posted: Aug 17, 2012 11:02 AM by Dan Shadwell
Updated: Aug 17, 2012 11:35 AM

In this week's Local Spotlight--the new musical production, "Daddy Long Legs." It's the story of an orphan who's sent to college by an anonymous philanthropist.
His only requirements--that the girl never know his identity and that as her education progresses, the 18-year-old write him monthly, so he can tell her literary skills are progressing...
track--in the PCPA production, both Jerusha and her sponsor, Jervis Pendleton appear on stage together, though neither can see the other. So as the 18-year-old composes her letters, we also see them read by Jervis.
"She's not really so much being coached by him," explains Ephie Aardema, who plays Jerusha, "... as she is being coached by herself and learning about herself through writing to this person that she will maybe never know and developing this relationship with him in her imagination."
She dubs her benefactor "Daddy Long Legs," and imagines him to be a kindly, tall, elderly gentleman with whom she begins to share all kinds of things.
Like the details of her daily life--"...like flowers and how the campus looks," says actor Kevin Earley, who plays Jervis. "He's been to this campus but he's never seen these things, so to see all this stuff through her eyes, as a fresh 18-year-old just really starts to touch his heart."
But since Jervis is in fact a wealthy man in his early 30's, he gets a little defensive about her assumptions regarding his age.
"She keeps asking him in almost ever letter, 'are you bald?' No, i'm not bald! why would you think bald?" says Earley of his sensitive character.
As Jervis' fascination with Jerusha grows... well, you can see where this is headed...

Daddy Long Legs plays through August 19th at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, then moves to the Solvang Festival Theatre for several more weeks from August 23rd to September 9th.
For more information on the story, cast, tickets, and show times, check out pcpa.org.