MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL SECURES WORLDWIDE LICENSING RIGHTS TO DADDY LONG LEGS
Show to make history as the first-ever Broadway or Off-Broadway performance available worldwide, free of charge via the internet on Livestream on December 10
NEW YORK, N.Y. – December 8, 2015 – Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) has secured worldwide licensing rights to Broadway’s DADDY LONG LEGS by Tony Award® -nominated composer-lyricist Paul Gordon (JANE EYRE) and Tony-winning librettist-director John Caird (LES MISERABLES). The new two-actor musical is an adaptation of Jean Webster’s 1912 novel, which also inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire.
Set in turn-of-the-century New England, DADDY LONG LEGS is a tale in the spirit of Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, and “Downton Abbey”— a Cinderella story about a witty and innocent young woman and her mysterious benefactor who agrees to send her to college under the condition that she write him a letter once a month. Not knowing who he is, she names him “Daddy Long Legs” and shares with him her discoveries of love, self, adventure and literature.
According to John Caird, “I first read Jean Webster’s novel some fifteen years ago and was immediately charmed by its wit, heart and intelligence. I was also surprised that a novel of such extraordinary sensitivity and economy of structure was not much better known, was not regarded, indeed, as a great American classic. With my dear friend and colleague Paul Gordon, the brilliant American tunesmith, I set about turning this lovely story into an intimate musical and I am delighted Music Theatre International will now be licensing the show so that a whole new generation of performers and theatre-goers can fall in love with it just as we did.”
“When John Caird first gave me the novel Daddy Long Legs to read I was instantly taken with the story’s protagonist, Jerusha Abbot,” Says Paul Gordon. “In her I saw a progressive feminist in early 20th century America living in an era where women didn’t even have the right to vote, let alone express their creativity and earn a living from it. In Jean Webster’s novel we watch Jerusha transcend the social mores of the day as she develops into a socially conscious member of society with her own career and sense of self-worth. Musicalizing her journey has been a gift and has allowed me to take a peek inside this young girls soul and imagine the music she might express if she were able to sing her thoughts and ideas.”
Broadway World proclaims, “An enchanting new musical with an exquisite score. DADDY LONG LEGS is an absolute charmer that’s perfect for date night and suitable for the whole family.” And The Huffington Post states, “Whereas WICKED may have been the most successful musical of the first decade of the 21st century, in this century’s second decade, DADDY LONG LEGS will become much more deeply adored and cherished by women of all ages.”
On Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 8:00 pm EST, DADDY LONG LEGS will be the first-ever Broadway or Off-Broadway performance to be broadcast over the Internet free of charge. The musical, which has had acclaimed productions throughout the United States as well as international productions in Canada, Tokyo and London’s West End before opening in New York, will partner with Livestream and make history as it allows audiences worldwide to view a live performance in full. Viewers can visit the show’s website, www.DaddyLongLegsMusical.com/Livestream now to register to watch the performance.
The live stream will feature performances from DADDY LONG LEGS stars, and real-life married couple, Megan McGinnis (LES MISERABLES, SIDE SHOW, LITTLE WOMEN) and Adam Halpin (DOGFIGHT, RENT, KINKY BOOTS Natl. Tour).
“We’re extremely excited to welcome DADDY LONG LEGS to the MTI catalog,” stated Drew Cohen, President of MTI Worldwide. “Sharing the show with customers and fans across the world via Livestream is a first, and a great way for us to generate potential interest in licensing.”
For more information about MTI and licensing, please call (212) 541-4684 or email [email protected]
About Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting schools as well as amateur and professional theatres from around the world the rights to perform the largest selection of great musicals from Broadway and beyond. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these shows to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 theatrical organizations in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.
