Ava Sylvia, seated center, portrays Sara Crewe in The Acting Company's upcoming production of “A Little Princess,” opening Nov. 13 in Yuba City. Also pictured, clockwise from front center, are Ruby Reeves, Marti Peacock, Athena Rose, Maylee Kania, Logan Wilder and Grace Paustian. Photo courtesy of The Acting Company

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - A musical more than a decade in the making is getting a new beginning in Yuba City, where The Acting Company will present the world premiere of a revised version of “A Little Princess,” opening Friday, Nov. 13.

Margaret Rose, the musical's lyricist and co-creator, traveled from Orlando, Florida, to attend rehearsals and opening weekend, offering local performers an opportunity to interact with one of the show's original creators.

“Being trusted with the premiere of the relaunch of A Little Princess is such an honor, and working with Margaret Rose has been like working with a trusted friend,” said director Foster Campbell-McManus. “She has been so accessible and supportive in helping us to understand our characters and encouraging our ideas. It has truly been a director’s dream.”

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, “A Little Princess” features music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Rose and a book by the late William J. Brooke. The musical originally premiered at Sacramento Theatre Company in 2013, where its creators identified several changes they hoped to make.

“In watching those performances as writers, you learn how the audience is reacting,” Rose said. “That's really an important part of our process…theater doesn't exist until there's an audience, and that's how we learn to improve our craft.”

The proposed revisions remained on hold for years as the writers pursued other projects. It wasn't until November 2025 that Rose and Rockwell returned to the musical, revisiting notes they had made during its original Sacramento run.

As the revisions were underway, The Acting Company board contacted Rose about producing the musical, following interest from Campbell-McManus, who had seen the original Sacramento production. Rose offered the theater a choice: Stage the original version or wait until spring for the revised script. The Acting Company chose the latter, becoming the first theater to present the updated musical.

“As soon as we made that decision to go back to the creative process on A Little Princess, the universe just made this contact for us, and here's a company that wants to do it,” Rose said. “There may be some further rewrites that we'll do after I've seen this version, but I think it's pretty darn close to what we want.”

Margaret Rose, lyricist and co-creator of “A Little Princess,” traveled to Yuba City to attend rehearsals and the opening of The Acting Company's world premiere of the newly revised musical, running Nov. 13 through Dec. 6. Photo courtesy of The Acting Company

Among the revisions is the relocation of a song titled “The Real World,” performed by Miss Minchin, the story's principal antagonist. Originally appearing late in Act Two, the song provides insight into the character's motivations.

“She's not 100% evil. She has good intentions,” Rose explained, adding that moving the song into Act One would allow audiences to better understand the character's perspective.

The writers also expanded the musical's storytelling structure, previously centered around the character Ram Dass, to incorporate the entire cast as storytellers who can step into multiple roles. The change makes the production more accessible to smaller theaters, allowing it to be performed with as few as 14 actors while accommodating larger ensembles. New openings for both acts were also written to support the revised format.

The Acting Company's production features a 19-member cast, led by Ava Sylvia as Sara Crewe, Erika Walsh-Wray as Miss Minchin, Joshua Saunders as Captain Crewe, Samuel Madrid as Tom Carrisford and Barrett Benson as Ram Dass.

During a rehearsal Thursday evening, Nov. 5, Rose had the opportunity to observe the local cast and praised Campbell-McManus' direction, particularly her guidance of the performers. Rose said she particularly enjoys watching young actors discover the fundamentals of theater, from learning blocking to finding new meaning in their characters.

“Nothing beats being in the rehearsal room with actors and seeing those beautiful young actors at the beginning of their theater journey,” she said. “I just love that process, the rehearsal process, even before we get an audience. Just the rehearsal process is a delight.”

Beyond the revisions, the musical remains faithful to Burnett's original novel, particularly its exploration of grief, hardship and resilience. Unlike some film adaptations, the musical retains the death of Sara Crewe's father rather than offering a miraculous reunion.

“It's okay though, because that's life,” Rose said. “People die, and it's how you deal with the difficulties in life that are what we need to look at.”

Rose's ties to Northern California extend beyond “A Little Princess.” A Modesto native and Sacramento State graduate, she also collaborated with Rockwell on “Meet Your Mountain,” a musical about the Donner Party that premiered at Sacramento Theatre Company in 2017.

That story has a particular connection to the Yuba-Sutter region, as Marysville was named after Mary Murphy Covillaud, a survivor of the ill-fated expedition. The writers hope to produce a full studio cast recording of “Meet Your Mountain” to help introduce the production to regional theaters and potentially larger stages.

For now, however, Rose's attention is on Yuba City, where the revised “A Little Princess” will be performed before live audiences for the first time. She and Rockwell may make additional adjustments based on the production before beginning a national effort to introduce the musical to community and regional theaters.

“There's a saying with musical theater writers that a musical is never finished. It just opens,” she said.

And for “A Little Princess,” that next chapter begins at The Acting Company. The musical runs Nov. 13 through Dec. 6 at The Acting Company, 815 B St., Yuba City, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $20, with an opening-weekend special of $18 for students, seniors and military members. Tickets and additional information are available at http://actingcompany.org/a-little-princess or by calling the box office at 530-751-1100.