Original Cast Recording: Ludlow Ladd - The Poor Little Orphan Boy, CD

A prequel to Charlotte Sweet. Part Dickens, part Gilbert and Sullivan, part Fractured Fairy Tale, this family operetta evolves through mock-Christmas carols. It centers on Ludlow Ladd, a poor young orphan in Victorian Liverpool. Its Christmas night and his birthday, as Ludlow wanders the streets, searching for a home. The eccentric Grimbles take him to their house, already crammed with animals, plants, and Prudence, their bratty daughter. After annoying the Grimbles, Ludlow is left alone with their Christmas tree. The tree turns into the magical Misssus Pinecones, who whisks him to the Land of Yuletime Cheer where dreams can come true”resulting in a perversely sweet holiday miracle.