Lynne Taylor-Corbett staged the 10-year-old musical's revised version in Irving, TX, near Dallas, in December and helms members of the same cast in New York, as well. The show is about Opal Whiteley, a child prodigy who lived in Oregon in the early 20th century and whose published childhood diary caused a sensation. Nassif (Honky Tonk Highway, Eliot Ness in Cleveland, Flight of the Lawnchair Man) penned book, music and lyrics.
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Here's how Lyric Stage billed its Southwest premiere staging in December 2003: "Orphaned in a shipwreck off the Oregon coast, an aristocratic girl is taken in by an embittered childless woman. The child is given a new name, Opal, and begins her adventures in this rugged world — all the while expecting her parents to someday return. To survive, she creates a world of fantasy and enchantment. The magic of her extraordinary imagination transforms the lives of those around her — the shy lumberjack, a blind girl and Opal's own foster mother. Finally, in the ashes of a devastating forest fire, Opal discovers hope and home."