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Little Women (musical)
Encyclopedia
Little Women is a musical
with a book by Allan Knee
, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland
.
Based on Louisa May Alcott
's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel
, it focuses on the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy
-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth - and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts
while the family patriarch
is away serving as a Union Army
chaplain
during the Civil War
. Intercut with the vignette
s in which their lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.
production opened at the Virginia Theatre on January 23, 2005 and closed on May 22, 2005 after 137 performances. It was directed by Susan H. Schulman
, with choreography by Michael Lichtefeld, set design by Derek McLane
, costume design by Catherine Zuber
, and lighting design by Kenneth Posner
.
The Broadway cast included Sutton Foster
as Jo, Maureen McGovern
as Marmee/The Hag, Janet Carroll as Aunt March/Mrs. Kirk, Jenny Powers
as Meg/Clarissa, Megan McGinnis
as Beth/Rodrigo II, Amy McAlexander as Amy/The Troll, Danny Gurwin as Laurie/Rodrigo, Robert Stattel as Mr. Lawrence/ The Knight, Jim Weitzer as Mr. Brooke/ Braxton, and John Hickok as Professor Bhaer.
A 30-city US National tour, with McGovern as Marmee and Kate Fisher as Jo ran from August 2005 (San Diego, California) through July 2006 (Kennedy Center, Washington, DC).
Peter Cousens
produced the Australian premiere production, which ran at the Seymour Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney
, from November 2008 through December 2008. Opera Australia's Stuart Maunder directed, with musical direction by Peter Rutherford. The cast included Kate-Maree Hoolihan as Jo, Trisha Noble
as Marmee, Judi Connelli
as Aunt March, Erica Lovell as Amy, Octavia Barron-Martin as Meg, Jodie Harris as Beth, Hayden Tee as Professor Bhaer, Stephen Mahy as Laurie, David Harris as John, and Philip Hinton as Mr. Lawrence.
Act II
In 1866, Josephine March (Jo) receives a notice of rejection from another author in New York City
, making it her twenty - second rejection. Jo asks Professor Bhaer, another boarder at Mrs. Kirk's Boarding House, his opinion on her story ("An Operatic Tragedy"). The Professor is not entranced by her blood and guts saga. He suggests she should write stories that can appeal to authors and of refined writing, and he leaves. Jo asks herself if she would write better at home in Concord, Massachusetts
("Better").
Beginning three years earlier at her attic-studio, Jo assembles her sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, to tell them that she will be putting up for a show of her own called the "Operatic Tragedy". The sisters beg Jo to not put it up for a show but Jo fantasizes about her blood and guts-filled show ("Our Finest Dreams"). Marmee, their mother, comes in with a letter from Mr. March who is a Union Army
chaplain in the American Civil War
. As she writes a response, she reflects on how hard is to be the pillar of strength in the March home ("Here Alone").
Aunt March, the wealthy aunt of the March sisters, asks Jo to change from being a tomboy to a model lady of society. She tells Jo of an idle thought to bring her along to Europe. Jo begs to go with her, but Aunt March reasons that she will take her only if she changes. Jo, who has always dreamed of seeing Europe
, agrees ("Could You?"). Meanwhile, Meg has one of her own dreams realized: she and Jo are invited to Annie Moffat's Valentine's Day Ball. But on the day of the ball, while the two sisters are rushing around for their finishing touches, Meg announces that she cannot go. She asks Marmee what to say when one of her potential suitors asks her to dance. Marmee tells Meg to just smile and say "I'd be delighted" ("I'd Be Delighted"). Amy, who cares about society and fine things more than Jo, rushes down in Jo's old ball gown to join them in going to the ball, but Jo stops her, as she is not invited.
At the ball, Jo accidentally sits on Laurie, who is a neighbor of the Marches' along with his grumpy grandfather, Mr. Lawrence. She apologizes to Laurie and asks him why he is sitting down. Laurie replies that he must have passed out from too much dancing. Laurie's tutor, Mr. John Brooke, then comes in and scolds Laurie for not meeting important people, which would make Mr. Lawrence furious. Mr. Brooke asks Meg to dance and Meg agrees. Meg and Mr. Brooke are smitten at first sight. Laurie confesses to Jo his need for friends and asks Jo to dance with him. Jo replies that she doesn't dance and has a patch on her dress but Laurie keeps on trying to make an impression ("Take A Chance On Me").
Back at the Marches' after the ball, Jo and Amy have a little confrontation, but Marmee sends Amy off to her bed and tells Jo that Amy is just a child. Jo spits back that Amy is a not a child but a demon in a child's body. Jo then rushes up to her attic to rewrite her story. Laurie invites Jo to a skating match, which she at first refuses but eventually agrees to. Amy wants to go with them but she already outgrown her pair of skates. Beth, who intends to stay home, offers Amy her old skates.
Beth is sitting at the family's old piano when Mr. Lawrence comes in looking for Laurie, who is out with Jo and Amy. Mr. Lawrence discovers Beth's talent at the piano and they sing a duet ("Off to Massachusetts"). Jo and Laurie comes in from the skating race with Amy in Laurie's arms because she had fallen into the ice while skating. Jo and Amy reconcile, and Jo makes Laurie an honorary member of the March family ("Five Forever"). Mr. Brooke excuses Meg for a while to tell her of his enlistment in the Union Army. He then asks Meg her hand in marriage, and she accepts ("More Than I Am").
But Jo's life goes to crisis when Mr. March's sickness calls Marmee. She has a confrontation with Aunt March after she cuts her hair to bring Marmee to Washington. Aunt March then turns her focus to Amy, molding her to be the society lady that she envisioned for Jo.
Laurie, who decides to ask Jo to marry him, then comes in her attic-studio. Laurie tries to kiss her but Jo gently pushes him away. He put out a ring but Jo thinks that it is a joke. Laurie says he loves Jo. Jo does not accept his marriage proposal. He tells her that she will marry, but Jo tells him that she will never marry; Laurie, on the contrary, says she will, but not to him. Jo then ponders her future, which is changing significantly. She vows to find another way to achieve her future ("Astonishing!").
Act II
At Mrs. Kirk's Boarding House at New York City
, she is holding a telegram for Jo from Mrs. March. Jo bounces in, looking for the Professor. She then realizes that the Professor is right in front of her. She tells them her fantastic news: she made her first sale as an author! She tells them the story of the sale as well, thanks to Professor Bhaer's advice, the re-edited story. But the news was disturbed when Jo reads the telegram. She is notified of Beth's Scarlet Fever
and immediately pack her bags and go home back to Concord.
Jo, after a few days, sends a letter to Professor Bhaer, asking him what's new in New York. The Professor struggles to write a decent response ("How I Am"). Back in Concord, at a nearby seashore, Beth says good bye to Jo, telling her that she is not afraid to move on because she is loved by everyone, especially Jo, that she is grateful to have them with her during her lifetime ("Some Things Are Meant To Be"). Amy and Laurie come home from Europe and struggle to tell Jo of their pending marriage because they are trying to be discreet about the matter ("The Most Amazing Thing").
Because of Beth's passing, Jo and the family grieve her loss. Marmee, being the strong one, tells Jo of how she copes with her passing. She tells Jo that she cannot be defeated by her passing and that she must move on ("Days of Plenty"). Jo reminisces while her sisters are still with her. She finds that her family and friends are themselves astonishing and this encourages her to write her novel, Little Women ("The Fire Within Me").
At the day of Laurie and Amy's wedding, Professor Bhaer comes to Concord to attend some matters. He realizes that it is time to tell Jo of his feelings for her. He invites Jo to their garden and tells her about his feelings and proposes. Jo accepts his proposal ("Small Umbrella In The Rain"). The Professor tells Jo that he sent the manuscript of her novel Little Women to the Weekly Volcano Press, the same publisher that accepted Jo's operatic tragedy. He tells Jo that the publisher agreed to publish it, and Jo proclaims her happiness ("Sometimes When You Dream (Reprise)").
In the Operatic Tragedy:
, reviewing for The New York Times
, wrote "Watching this shorthand account of four sisters growing up poor but honest during the Civil War is like speed reading Alcott's evergreen novel of 1868. You glean the most salient traits of the principal characters, events and moral lessons, but without the shading and detail that made these elements feel true to life in the book...Since the characters do not acquire full personalities, you don't feel emotionally invested in them." He wrote of Sutton Foster: "The slim and supple Ms. Foster has a lot to carry on those twitchy shoulders. If 'Little Women' does develop the following of young girls and their mothers the producers have targeted, it will be largely Ms. Foster's doing."
The Village Voice reviewer noted "The show itself, similarly, seems lost in the drafty hugeness of the Virginia, where the often charming family scenes are dwarfed by the high proscenium arch (emphasized by the metal scaffolding that frames Derek McLane's otherwise attractive settings). The pity of it is that, between seizures, so much of Little Women's reality has been established. Allan Knee's script offers long passages of astutely condensed Alcott; Jason Howland's pleasant music, inventively orchestrated by Kim Scharnberg, pulls contemporary shapes out of period waltzes, polkas, and quadrilles, bumpily but gamely supported by Mindi Dickstein's uneven lyrics. And the cast, as always, offers many potential rescuers."
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Allan Knee
Allan Knee
-Stage:*Little Women *The Man Who was Peter Pan -Stage:*Little Women (Broadway musical) (2005)*The Man Who was Peter Pan -Stage:*Little Women (Broadway musical) (2005)*The Man Who was Peter Pan (42nd Street Workshop 'Off-Broadway. (March 1998)*Late Nite Comic (Broadway) (1987)-Film/TV:*Esther's...
, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland
Jason Howland
Jason Howland is a musical theatre composer, playwright, conductor, music director, and producer. His most notable work has been writing the music for the Broadway musical Little Women.-Biography:...
.
Based on Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel
Autobiographical novel
An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fiction elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction...
, it focuses on the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth - and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
while the family patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
is away serving as a Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Intercut with the vignette
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
s in which their lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.
Productions
After 55 previews, the BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production opened at the Virginia Theatre on January 23, 2005 and closed on May 22, 2005 after 137 performances. It was directed by Susan H. Schulman
Susan H. Schulman
Susan H. Schulman is an American theater director.Intent on a career as an actress, Schulman studied drama at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, New York in the 1960s. She attended Yale University on a playwrighting fellowship, graduating with a Master's Degree...
, with choreography by Michael Lichtefeld, set design by Derek McLane
Derek McLane
Derek McLane is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and musical theatre). He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama....
, costume design by Catherine Zuber
Catherine Zuber
- Broadway :Zuber's Broadway credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , Born Yesterday , Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, South Pacific , The Coast of Utopia , The Light in the Piazza , Edward Albee's Seascape , Awake and Sing! ,...
, and lighting design by Kenneth Posner
Kenneth Posner
Kenneth Posner is an American theatrical lighting designer, working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in American regional theatre. His most notable designs include the musicals Wicked and Hairspray, two highly regarded musicals of the early 21st century...
.
The Broadway cast included Sutton Foster
Sutton Foster
Sutton Lenore Foster is an American actress, singer and dancer. Foster has received two Tony Awards, in 2002 for her role of Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie and in 2011 for her role of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes...
as Jo, Maureen McGovern
Maureen McGovern
Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
as Marmee/The Hag, Janet Carroll as Aunt March/Mrs. Kirk, Jenny Powers
Jenny Powers
Jennifer Diane Powers is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant contestant. She won the title of Miss Illinois in 2000, and has had major roles in Broadway productions such as Little Women and Grease....
as Meg/Clarissa, Megan McGinnis
Megan McGinnis
Megan McGinnis is an American Broadway Actress, who recently performed in the role of Éponine, in the revival of Les Misérables .- Broadway career :...
as Beth/Rodrigo II, Amy McAlexander as Amy/The Troll, Danny Gurwin as Laurie/Rodrigo, Robert Stattel as Mr. Lawrence/ The Knight, Jim Weitzer as Mr. Brooke/ Braxton, and John Hickok as Professor Bhaer.
A 30-city US National tour, with McGovern as Marmee and Kate Fisher as Jo ran from August 2005 (San Diego, California) through July 2006 (Kennedy Center, Washington, DC).
Peter Cousens
Peter Cousens
Peter Cousens is an Australian actor, born in Tamworth NSW.He attended The Armidale School in Armidale and then Gordonstoun School, Scotland. He then spent a year reading Arts at St Paul's College, Sydney University before studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art , graduating in...
produced the Australian premiere production, which ran at the Seymour Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, from November 2008 through December 2008. Opera Australia's Stuart Maunder directed, with musical direction by Peter Rutherford. The cast included Kate-Maree Hoolihan as Jo, Trisha Noble
Trisha Noble
Patricia Ann Ruth "Trisha" Noble is an Australian singer and actress.-Biography:Noble was born in Sydney, Australia. Her father was comedian and singer Buster Noble and her mother was the entertainer Helen De Paul....
as Marmee, Judi Connelli
Judi Connelli
Judi Connelli AM is an award-winning singer and actress.She is best known for her career in opera and stage musicals...
as Aunt March, Erica Lovell as Amy, Octavia Barron-Martin as Meg, Jodie Harris as Beth, Hayden Tee as Professor Bhaer, Stephen Mahy as Laurie, David Harris as John, and Philip Hinton as Mr. Lawrence.
Song list
Act I- Overture
- An Operatic Tragedy- Jo, Clarissa, Braxton, Rodrigo
- Better- Jo
- Our Finest Dreams- Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg
- Here Alone- Marmee
- Could You?- Aunt March and Jo
- I'd Be Delighted- Marmee, Meg, Beth, and Jo
- Take a Chance on Me- Laurie and Jo
- Off to Massachusetts- Beth and Mr. Laurence
- Five Forever- Jo, Beth, Meg, Amy, and Laurie
- More Than I Am- Mr. Brooke and Meg
- Astonishing- Jo
Act II
- The Weekly Volcano Press- Jo, Clarissa, Braxton, Rodrigo, Hag, Troll, Knight, Rodrigo II, and Company
- Off To Massachusetts (Reprise)- Mr. Laurence, Beth, Laurie, Marmee, Meg, Mr. Brooke
- How I Am- Professor Bhaer
- Some Things Are Meant to Be- Beth and Jo
- The Most Amazing Thing- Amy and Laurie
- Days of Plenty- Marmee
- The Fire Within Me- Jo
- Small Umbrella in the Rain- Jo and Professor Bhaer
- Sometimes When You Dream (Reprise) - Jo
Plot
Act IIn 1866, Josephine March (Jo) receives a notice of rejection from another author in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, making it her twenty - second rejection. Jo asks Professor Bhaer, another boarder at Mrs. Kirk's Boarding House, his opinion on her story ("An Operatic Tragedy"). The Professor is not entranced by her blood and guts saga. He suggests she should write stories that can appeal to authors and of refined writing, and he leaves. Jo asks herself if she would write better at home in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
("Better").
Beginning three years earlier at her attic-studio, Jo assembles her sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, to tell them that she will be putting up for a show of her own called the "Operatic Tragedy". The sisters beg Jo to not put it up for a show but Jo fantasizes about her blood and guts-filled show ("Our Finest Dreams"). Marmee, their mother, comes in with a letter from Mr. March who is a Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
chaplain in the American Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
. As she writes a response, she reflects on how hard is to be the pillar of strength in the March home ("Here Alone").
Aunt March, the wealthy aunt of the March sisters, asks Jo to change from being a tomboy to a model lady of society. She tells Jo of an idle thought to bring her along to Europe. Jo begs to go with her, but Aunt March reasons that she will take her only if she changes. Jo, who has always dreamed of seeing Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, agrees ("Could You?"). Meanwhile, Meg has one of her own dreams realized: she and Jo are invited to Annie Moffat's Valentine's Day Ball. But on the day of the ball, while the two sisters are rushing around for their finishing touches, Meg announces that she cannot go. She asks Marmee what to say when one of her potential suitors asks her to dance. Marmee tells Meg to just smile and say "I'd be delighted" ("I'd Be Delighted"). Amy, who cares about society and fine things more than Jo, rushes down in Jo's old ball gown to join them in going to the ball, but Jo stops her, as she is not invited.
At the ball, Jo accidentally sits on Laurie, who is a neighbor of the Marches' along with his grumpy grandfather, Mr. Lawrence. She apologizes to Laurie and asks him why he is sitting down. Laurie replies that he must have passed out from too much dancing. Laurie's tutor, Mr. John Brooke, then comes in and scolds Laurie for not meeting important people, which would make Mr. Lawrence furious. Mr. Brooke asks Meg to dance and Meg agrees. Meg and Mr. Brooke are smitten at first sight. Laurie confesses to Jo his need for friends and asks Jo to dance with him. Jo replies that she doesn't dance and has a patch on her dress but Laurie keeps on trying to make an impression ("Take A Chance On Me").
Back at the Marches' after the ball, Jo and Amy have a little confrontation, but Marmee sends Amy off to her bed and tells Jo that Amy is just a child. Jo spits back that Amy is a not a child but a demon in a child's body. Jo then rushes up to her attic to rewrite her story. Laurie invites Jo to a skating match, which she at first refuses but eventually agrees to. Amy wants to go with them but she already outgrown her pair of skates. Beth, who intends to stay home, offers Amy her old skates.
Beth is sitting at the family's old piano when Mr. Lawrence comes in looking for Laurie, who is out with Jo and Amy. Mr. Lawrence discovers Beth's talent at the piano and they sing a duet ("Off to Massachusetts"). Jo and Laurie comes in from the skating race with Amy in Laurie's arms because she had fallen into the ice while skating. Jo and Amy reconcile, and Jo makes Laurie an honorary member of the March family ("Five Forever"). Mr. Brooke excuses Meg for a while to tell her of his enlistment in the Union Army. He then asks Meg her hand in marriage, and she accepts ("More Than I Am").
But Jo's life goes to crisis when Mr. March's sickness calls Marmee. She has a confrontation with Aunt March after she cuts her hair to bring Marmee to Washington. Aunt March then turns her focus to Amy, molding her to be the society lady that she envisioned for Jo.
Laurie, who decides to ask Jo to marry him, then comes in her attic-studio. Laurie tries to kiss her but Jo gently pushes him away. He put out a ring but Jo thinks that it is a joke. Laurie says he loves Jo. Jo does not accept his marriage proposal. He tells her that she will marry, but Jo tells him that she will never marry; Laurie, on the contrary, says she will, but not to him. Jo then ponders her future, which is changing significantly. She vows to find another way to achieve her future ("Astonishing!").
Act II
At Mrs. Kirk's Boarding House at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, she is holding a telegram for Jo from Mrs. March. Jo bounces in, looking for the Professor. She then realizes that the Professor is right in front of her. She tells them her fantastic news: she made her first sale as an author! She tells them the story of the sale as well, thanks to Professor Bhaer's advice, the re-edited story. But the news was disturbed when Jo reads the telegram. She is notified of Beth's Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
and immediately pack her bags and go home back to Concord.
Jo, after a few days, sends a letter to Professor Bhaer, asking him what's new in New York. The Professor struggles to write a decent response ("How I Am"). Back in Concord, at a nearby seashore, Beth says good bye to Jo, telling her that she is not afraid to move on because she is loved by everyone, especially Jo, that she is grateful to have them with her during her lifetime ("Some Things Are Meant To Be"). Amy and Laurie come home from Europe and struggle to tell Jo of their pending marriage because they are trying to be discreet about the matter ("The Most Amazing Thing").
Because of Beth's passing, Jo and the family grieve her loss. Marmee, being the strong one, tells Jo of how she copes with her passing. She tells Jo that she cannot be defeated by her passing and that she must move on ("Days of Plenty"). Jo reminisces while her sisters are still with her. She finds that her family and friends are themselves astonishing and this encourages her to write her novel, Little Women ("The Fire Within Me").
At the day of Laurie and Amy's wedding, Professor Bhaer comes to Concord to attend some matters. He realizes that it is time to tell Jo of his feelings for her. He invites Jo to their garden and tells her about his feelings and proposes. Jo accepts his proposal ("Small Umbrella In The Rain"). The Professor tells Jo that he sent the manuscript of her novel Little Women to the Weekly Volcano Press, the same publisher that accepted Jo's operatic tragedy. He tells Jo that the publisher agreed to publish it, and Jo proclaims her happiness ("Sometimes When You Dream (Reprise)").
Character list
- Jo – A passionate young woman. This is her story and her journey. The story centers around her life, from the Christmas that it all started, to the writing of Little Women and her engagement to Professor Bhaer.
- Laurie (Theodore Lawrence III) – The young boy-next-door that is the same age as Jo. He loves Jo dearly during Act One, but quickly is rejected when he proposes. He later travels to Europe and bonds with Amy, with whom he falls in love. He marries Amy.
- Meg – The oldest sister. She yearns for a great life. She marries John Brooke and has twins later in Act II.
- Amy – The youngest sister with a rather pompous manner, and by that, she rides into society. She marries Laurie.
- Beth – The second youngest sister. Unfortunately, she dies of Scarlet Fever in Act II. She is a peace-maker, and always sees the good in everyone.
- Marmee – The strong mother. She is the backbone of the family. Her songs show how truly trying this is, however.
- Mr. John Brooke – Laurie's Tutor, a rather stiff man, but capable of showing emotion. He marries Meg.
- Mr. Laurence – Laurie's grandfather. He is a stiff and stern elderly man, but he eventually shows his softer side.
- Professor Bhaer – A German Professor, who is quite proper. He is a boarder in Mrs. Kirk's boarding house. He then falls in love with Jo.
- Aunt March – A formidable, over-bearing matron and the great-aunt of the March sisters. She is very rich and cares greatly about society, but in a stiff way, loves her family.
In the Operatic Tragedy:
- The Fair Clarissa – The heroine of the operatic tragedy. In the original production, she is played by the actress who plays Meg.
- Rodrigo – The hero of the operatic tragedy. In the original production, he is played by the actor who plays Laurie.
- Sir Braxton Prendergast – The villain of the operatic tragedy. In the original production, he is played by the actor who plays Mr. John Brooke.
- Troll – A character in operatic tragedy. In the original production, she is played by the actress who plays Amy.
- Hag – A character in operatic tragedy. In the original production, she is played by the actress who plays Marmee.
- Knight – A character in operatic tragedy. In the original production, he is played by the actor who plays Mr. Laurence.
- Rodrigo II – A character in the operatic tragedy. In the original production, she is played by the actress who plays Beth.
Reception
Ben BrantleyBen Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
, reviewing for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, wrote "Watching this shorthand account of four sisters growing up poor but honest during the Civil War is like speed reading Alcott's evergreen novel of 1868. You glean the most salient traits of the principal characters, events and moral lessons, but without the shading and detail that made these elements feel true to life in the book...Since the characters do not acquire full personalities, you don't feel emotionally invested in them." He wrote of Sutton Foster: "The slim and supple Ms. Foster has a lot to carry on those twitchy shoulders. If 'Little Women' does develop the following of young girls and their mothers the producers have targeted, it will be largely Ms. Foster's doing."
The Village Voice reviewer noted "The show itself, similarly, seems lost in the drafty hugeness of the Virginia, where the often charming family scenes are dwarfed by the high proscenium arch (emphasized by the metal scaffolding that frames Derek McLane's otherwise attractive settings). The pity of it is that, between seizures, so much of Little Women's reality has been established. Allan Knee's script offers long passages of astutely condensed Alcott; Jason Howland's pleasant music, inventively orchestrated by Kim Scharnberg, pulls contemporary shapes out of period waltzes, polkas, and quadrilles, bumpily but gamely supported by Mindi Dickstein's uneven lyrics. And the cast, as always, offers many potential rescuers."
Nominations
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Musical (Foster) - Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Foster) - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (McGovern)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations