The two-actor production officially opened at the Davenport Theatre Sept. 28. The new musical, about a romance that spans several years and is developed through letters, features music and lyrics by Tony nominee Paul Gordon and a book by Tony winner John Caird. Caird, who also directs, reunites with Gordon following their earlier collaboration on the Tony-nominated Jane Eyre.
The Off-Broadway premiere began previews Sept. 10, starring McGinnis (Les Misérables), who has been attached to the project since its 2009 debut, alongside Paul Alexander Nolan (Once, Jesus Christ Superstar). Reynolds made his debut in the role on Oct. 29.
The musical is based on the 1912 novel by Jean Webster. Set in turn-of-the-century New England, it tells the story of Jerusha Abbott, the oldest orphan in the John Grier Home. A mysterious benefactor agrees to send her to college under the condition that she writes him a letter once a month, and through this correspondence, she shares her experiences of discovering literature, adventure, love and self. Not knowing who her aid is, she dubs him "Daddy Long Legs."
Good morning, Playbill! Can you tell I am not a morning person? My husband, Adam, lets me sleep fifteen more minutes while he starts the day and makes us coffee. Boy am I lucky!
Megan McGinnis
Oh and he opens the shades. I still don’t want to open my eyes.
Megan McGinnis
My husband is a master at the French press!
Megan McGinnis
I tend to get into an eating routine for shows. Currently, I’m addicted to this cereal and I can’t find it anywhere, so I ordered a box of 6 bags!
Megan McGinnis
Adam tries to get me out of my routine and plans all kinds of delicious meals. This morning he entices me with bagels, cream cheese, and lox.
Megan McGinnis
My favorite place to sit in the morning. Perfect leather armchair, many books, delicious coffee in hand.
Megan McGinnis
One of the cons of not wearing a wig in the show - I have to wash my hair every other day, otherwise my curls don’t look so great. And they don’t look so great when I get out of the shower, either!
Megan McGinnis
All right, let’s prep the Jerusha “bangs.”
Megan McGinnis
Perfect, yea?
Megan McGinnis
Time for my vocal warm up! I’ve been studying with the same teacher since I was ten years old - Evelyn Halus. She lives in L.A. (where I grew up), but I still use her warm ups before every show.
Megan McGinnis
I’m off to the theatre on my beloved 1 train! Those look like Saturday wait times.
Megan McGinnis
My subway ride is about 25 minutes. Last summer, I took a meditation class and I’ve been pretty good at sticking to twice daily twenty minute “medis” as I like to call them. The subway can be distracting, but I find it a wonderful place for meditation. (And no, I hadn’t really started the meditation when I took this selfie).
Megan McGinnis
A quick walk from the 50th Street station to the theatre on 45th Street, and look what I see!
Megan McGinnis
Oh look, I found the secret!
Megan McGinnis
Our crew is setting up for top of show, but I need to give my Jerusha trunks a big hug before we start. I have spent a great deal of time with these trunks! The trunks represent a great many things during the show, and I move them around before almost every scene. They are basically my entire show. I have the bruises to prove it!
Megan McGinnis
Meet our awesome stage manager, Jenny! She is taking down props from last night’s show.
Megan McGinnis
This is our wardrobe supervisor and my dresser, Michelle! Hidden inside all of my trunks are many props and costumes that I use throughout the show. I never leave the stage and do all of my costume changes in front of the audience! Michelle is pre-setting my act one skirt.
Megan McGinnis
See, we hide lots of things in these trunks. There’s my skirt that I put on in my second song, my purple tie that I put on during Jervis’ first song, my apron that I put on near the end of act one, ten or so books that I take out during “Things I Didn’t Know,” and a composition book is hidden under there somewhere too. Magic!
Megan McGinnis
Here are some other props hidden in the “Skull and Crossbones” trunk. You actually never get to see the baseball mitt. It’s just there for ambiance that only I get to enjoy!
Megan McGinnis
A glimpse at Jervis’ desk blotter. There might be some lyric changes cleverly placed there, during previews. And a tree with balloons, drawn by Paul Nolan, who plays Jervis. Because, why not? And awww look, he loves Jerusha! So cute.
Megan McGinnis
During the second act, Paul types a couple of letters on a working typewriter. They make a lot of sense, yes?
Megan McGinnis
The only letter I actually read in the show is the “Nine Point Plan.” Here it is, marked up by our director John Caird himself, with some changes we made in previews.
Megan McGinnis
We may only have one set, but it is filled with fascinating pieces, including this radio that we never use! You can also see Jervis’ bar, which unfortunately only has iced tea.
Megan McGinnis
Our set and costume designer, David Farley, is from England. Isn’t it cute that he has hidden a couple of things throughout the set to represent his home? There’s a British double decker bus amongst Jervis’ books!
Megan McGinnis
At the top of Act Two, bunches of books are added to the edge of the stage, to represent Jerusha’s life and mind expanding. There are also a few props added that I enjoy, like this little wooden mannequin. Jenny can set his position depending on her mood. Today was clearly a YMCA kind of day.
Megan McGinnis
I have two composition books that I use in the show. I’ve had the same books over the last six years - and, in fact, took them home with me in between each regional run of the show (all fourteen of them!). This is my second act composition book.
Megan McGinnis
I have one break in the second act during “Charity” where I can actually write in the composition book. Sometimes I write stories. Sometimes I write notes. Sometimes I don’t start a new page, and write and rewrite so much, that it just looks like this!
Megan McGinnis
I also have one page in the composition book that some time ago, I started marking important days. Our previous production manager Christina Burck would keep track of record events like our 150th performance on the road. That’s when I started this page. I couldn’t tell you why I picked the other numbers! And what’s with the question mark?? But the last date is, of course, our opening here in New York.
Megan McGinnis
We have a small cast (yup, just me and Paul!), but our family here is much bigger. This is Maggie, our incredible sound mixer, and our two wonderful standbys - Will Reynolds and Hannah Corneau! Maggie mixes the show from the balcony there, and Will and Hannah often watch from that great viewpoint.
Megan McGinnis
On my way to the dressing room, and I’m stopping to shop. This is our fun merchandise stand. I want it all. Oh, and did you hear? We made an album! It’s out in less than a month!!
Megan McGinnis
This is my dressing room table. I cleaned it just for you.
Megan McGinnis
Okay, let’s get ready for this matinee!
Megan McGinnis
Time to do my hair! “Bangs” on the side, microphones hidden under them, twists on each side, and a half bun in the back. I came up with the style when we first started the show in 2009. It used to take me forever, but now it’s second nature.
Megan McGinnis
We find lots of random things in our dressing rooms. Michelle is pleased with her find today. What do we think the unnamed cans are??
Megan McGinnis
Paul warms up. Yes, he actually takes a towel and pulls his tongue. But it works - have you heard him sing??!
Megan McGinnis
When I did my first show after getting married, I was so hesitant to take my rings off. Stage managers collect valuables and lock them up at the beginning of the show, but I didn’t feel comfortable being so far from them. A fellow married cast member told me she pinned them into her bra - to keep them close to her heart and safe. I’ve done it ever since!
Megan McGinnis
Paul and I at the five minute call!
Megan McGinnis
Places! My purposefully ill-fitting orphan dress is on and I am ready to take on this matinee!
Megan McGinnis
Sorry there isn’t a lot to show you during the show! Because I’m on stage the whole time, this is my next chance to take a picture. We just came off stage for intermission. I thought you might like to see the pretty clothes I got to change into on stage!
Megan McGinnis
Time for a shirt and tie change. I learned to tie my own tie!
Megan McGinnis
Oops, apparently I still have a lot to learn. That looks terrible.
Megan McGinnis
Okay, we are all set for Act Two! Places!
Megan McGinnis
And once again, I’m not back with my phone until the end of the act. First show of the day completed!
Megan McGinnis
Look who surprised me and came to see my matinee - my hubby! I picked him out of the audience within the first minute. One of the joys of speaking to the audience the whole show!
Megan McGinnis
Must hydrate in between shows. I don’t get a lot of time to drink water during the show.
Megan McGinnis
I don’t usually do anything in between shows except rest, but the great thing about midtown is that you run into your awesome friends who are also doing shows! I got to give Krysta, one of my besties, a big hug. We are on the same schedule, as Ken Davenport produces both DLL and Spring Awakening, but I saw their dress rehearsal and was blown away! The show and Krysta are magnificent!!
Megan McGinnis
If you’ve ever spent any time around 45th St and 9th Ave, then you must have seen or heard this wonderful man play the flute. He sat two doors down from our theatre and played almost every day. We often said hello and I grew very fond of him. I had heard a rumor that he had passed away, but today I saw this article posted in his usual spot. So very sad.
Megan McGinnis
Time for dinner. I’ve decided my favorite green juice from Juice Generation and a burrito bowl from Chipotle are a good match.
Megan McGinnis
I have a beautiful first edition of "Daddy Long Legs" in my dressing room - a gift from my parents.
Megan McGinnis
It’s so easy to open it up and be captivated by Jean Webster’s writing. I also love seeing snippets that are word for word in our show. This “P.S." happens in the middle of the first act!
Megan McGinnis
David (our set designer) gave me this mini-trunk on our opening night in 2009 at the Rubicon. It’s traveled with me everywhere since!
Megan McGinnis
Back out to get some coffee next door at my favorite - Schmackary’s. I am there all too often. I need a frequent coffee buyer punch card!
Megan McGinnis
Time for the evening show! I love our gaslit lamps in front of the theatre. You can just make it out in the background there.
Megan McGinnis
Sometimes the bangs don’t behave, and I just cut them.
Megan McGinnis
Our dressing rooms are set up so that if I open my door, I can easily hang out with Paul and Michelle. We like to catch up in between shows.
Megan McGinnis
I took my phone with me to the top of the show! This is my view right before I start. If you look really hard, you can see our band above the bookshelves. There’s Andy, our associate MD to the very far right, subbing in for our MD Brad Haak who is away today. To the left of him is our guitarist, Craig. And all the way to the far left is our cellist, Jeannette.
Megan McGinnis
And the evening show is done! Paul strikes a pose.
Megan McGinnis
Time to go home! Hair is coming down!
Megan McGinnis
Look what my mother-in-law sent us! Daddy Long Legs cupcakes!
Megan McGinnis
Paul tells the cupcake he shouldn’t even think of taking his job.
Megan McGinnis
A walk through Times Square to get to the subway.
Megan McGinnis
Now time for a real meal! Adam cooked me a chicken burger topped with avocado, and made kale chips! He took this picture while I was watching baseball.
Megan McGinnis
Blurry and fuzzy picture, but it’s been a long day. So lucky to have Adam to help take care of me.
Megan McGinnis
Back in my favorite chair for a bedtime read. Guess I couldn’t stay awake for long! Thanks for joining me today, Playbill readers! Come see our beautiful show at the Davenport Theatre and be sure to say hi after!
Megan McGinnis
You may also like
The show, produced by Ken Davenport (Kinky Boots) and Michael Jackowitz (How To Succeed in Business...), premiered at California's Rubicon Theatre Company in 2009 and has had acclaimed productions throughout the United States as well as international productions in Canada, Tokyo and London's West End.
The New York production features scenic and costume design by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee David Farley (Sunday in the Park With George), lighting design by Paul Toben (The Story Of My Life), sound design by Peter Fitzgerald and music direction, arrangements and orchestrations by Brad Haak (An American in Paris).
Producers also include Hunter Arnold, Ben Bailey, Caiola Productions and associate producer Kayla Greenspan.
Tickets are available by visiting Telecharge or by calling (212) 239-6222. The Davenport Theatre is located at 354 West 45th St., New York.
