In brief: ‘A Little Princess’ opens Friday at Lake City Playhouse

Sara Crewe’s upbringing is unlike that of her peers. For one, she grew up in Africa before moving to London. For another, she is the daughter of Captain Crewe, a wealthy explorer.

As such, Crewe (Evangeline Hall) doesn’t quite fit in at her boarding school, where her father has dropped her off while he begins an expedition to Timbuktu. She doesn’t put on her shoes before going to dinner, befriends the scullery maid Becky (Anna Carr) and tells stories of contacting spirits, for which she is chastised by the boarding school’s headmistress Winifred Minchin (Monica Thomas).

Over time, Crewe manages to make a few friends, including Becky, Lottie (Graciela Padilla) and Ermengarde (Gianna Esposito) and even Minchin seems to be acting kinder to her. But Crewe’s life changes when she learns that her father passed away during his trip to Timbuktu.

As she adjusts to her life as an orphaned student, Crewe’s friends help her accept her new reality.

“A Little Princess” is based on the story of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett, presented as a novella, play and children’s book. This version of the story was adapted for the stage by John Vreeke.

“A Little Princess” opens Friday and plays through April 12 at Lake City Playhouse. The show is directed by Jolena Long.

The cast also includes Sindhu Surapaneni, Crystal Bain, Olivier Moratin, Bekah Dunn, Heather Renz, Sadie Selby, Connor Duncan, Graciela Padilla, Bodhi Christopherson, Gianna Esposito, Coco Borgelt, Heidi Mikkelson, Charlotte Dunn, Ozzie Drake, Piper Small, Eleanor Pierce, Annabelle Pereira, Elli Allen, Evelyn Long, Preston Dunn, Megan Franklin, Abagail Franklin, Elizabeth Franklin, Wesley Dunn, Russell Cameron and Maddox Long.