Description

Daddy Long Legs, music and lyrics by Paul Gordon, book by John Caird,
based on the novel by Jean Webster and directed by Nikka Ziemer is a
charming and thoughtful story of a young woman of eighteen named Jerusha
Abbott played by Cristina Zermeno, who lives in an orphanage. The
production opens at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N Main Street in Las Cruces, on Friday, Novemer 19, and runs through Sunday, December 5.

As the oldest person living there, many of the responsibilities of running
the orphanage fall on her - but when a mysterious stranger played by David
Arias, visits the orphanage and leaves Jerusha a letter, she finds that as
a result of articulate and humorous essay she's written, this stranger is
going to fund her college education in the hopes that she'll become a great
author. There's a catch though, Jerusha has to write her benefactor letters
detailing her experiences in college which he’ll never reply to - the point
of writing them is to foster her literary talent.

As Jerusha writes letters to her benefactor, who insists on being called
Mr. Smith, she takes quite a liking to her imagined notions of him. Soon,
she affectionately nicknames him Daddy Long Legs because of his height
which she caught a glimpse of as he left the orphanage. As Jerusha grows
throughout her college years, she realizes all the things she doesn't know
as compared to the other girls in school like Shakespearean plays,
compositions by Bach and various actors from the 19th and 20th centuries.

These rich cultural references make interesting and edifying dialogue while
being seamlessly interwoven in the story of Jerusha's growth. Ultimately,
the story is one of romance - as Daddy Long Legs is not an old man of 80 as
Jerusha imagines but is instead a young man who becomes enthralled by
Jerusha's charming letters. The bridging of class inequities, the
navigation of academic and social life and the coming of age of a young
woman are some of the heartwarming and moving topics traversed in your new
favorite musical: Daddy Long Legs.

Cristina Zermeno is performing in her first show at the Black Box Theatre.
This is also her first lead in a musical, although she has performed in
plays in El Paso. David Arias is well known to Black Box Theatre regulars,
recently seen as Voltaire in Emilie: La Marquise du Chatalet Defends Her
Life Tonight. Arias has also appeared at the Black Box in Little Shop of
Horrors, A New Brain, Photograph 51 and Seagulls in a Cherry Tree. The
Music Director is Barbara Toth, Lighting Design is by Peter Herman, Costume
Design by Autumn Gieb, and Scenic Design is by Peter Herman and Nikka
Ziemer. Bekah Taulbe and Cassandra Galban are the Light and Sound Board Operators.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sunday matinees on
November 28 and December 5 at 2:30 p.m., and a Thursday performance on
December 2 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 regular admission, $12.00
students and seniors over 65, and all seats on Thursday are $10.00.
Reservations may be made online on the No Strings Theatre website (www.no-
strings.org) or by calling the Black Box Theatre at (575) 523-1223.

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Seating

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