By Ken Stern 

'Little Women' a play to sing and dance about, on stage at Anacortes Community Theatre

 

November 2, 2022

Imagine being creative, intelligent and head strong, the oldest of four sisters, in 1861. Imagine having a writing talent and the will for a career in a society where you are, legally, the property first of your father then, when you marry, of your husband. You don't have the vote. You can hardly sign a contract.

That is the world of Louisa May Alcott, who turned it into her first novel, "Little Women," published in 1868.

In 2005 it premiered as a musical on Broadway. Last week a very good production opened at the Anacortes Community Theatre, with an energetic and delightful Lucy Price as Jo. The musical "Little Women" is a fiction of a fiction. Embrace it, Enjoy it. Go see it.

Jo's imagination, through scriptwriter Allan Knee's opening scene, is literally staged, "An Operatic Tragedy," a tale of a maiden challenged by a rogue. She is saved by Rodrigo, who sings out the critical word, "destiny." Jo has spun the tale in New York, where the playwright makes up a story of a Prof. Bhaer (Joey Sasnett) who is taken by her intelligence and talent and offers advice, of course.

Jo cannot get published, not yet. It is back to Concord. The scene becomes the family home in 1861. The father has been called to the Civil War. Imagine an all-female family making it on their own back then. Alcott lived that. Now the family sings it, 21 songs in two acts.

Words are critical for a budding writer. A favorite of Jo's is "Astonishing," the last song she sings at the end of Act I.

Jo considers "And I don't know how to proceed./I only know I'm meant for something more/I've got to know if I can be/Astonishing."

Her something more was anchored in her family, her sisters Amy (Katie Wagenbach), Beth (Sierra Jones) and Meg (Emily Castle). The mother, Marmee (Karen Pollack ), was the anchor and role model.

In developing her writer's voice, Alcott turned to the world she knew, her family and neighbors in Concord. The sisters and neighbors are introduced, with the sisters singing of "Our Finest Dreams" and later with their neighbor Laurie (Adam Bessman, a high school student) "Five Forever." Laurie wants to court Jo, but she will not have it, even though he pines away with the solo "Take a Chance on Me." Jo is not having anyone.

Meg will. When young Mr. Brooke (Michael Turner, also in high school) comes into her life, she says "yes."

The headstrong and willful Jo frustrates her rich Aunt March (Kathleen Sasnett) and loses out on a trip to Europe. Amy goes. They run into Laurie and Amy returns engaged.

The cast is uniformly fine, including the gruff Mr. Laurence (Roger Sasnett), who reluctantly befriends Beth and ends up singing with her the piano duet "Off to Massachusetts" in both acts.

Meanwhile, Prof. Bhaer comes to Concord because Jo has sent her manuscript to him. Their happy ending, sharing a "Small Umbrella in the Rain," the penultimate song, is all Broadway. Alcott never married.

But the lines before the first act curtain are "I'll be Astonishing/Astonishing/Astonishing/At Last." The world was for the real Louisa May Alcott. Lucy Price on stage is.

Director Tom Ochiai, Music Director Jennifer Campbell and Choreographer Glynna Goff successfully coaxed strong performances from the cast. Go see for yourself. Bring your kids.

The show runs Thursday-Sunday through Nov. 20. Times and ticket: acttheatre.com and 360-293-6829.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 02/18/2024 02:23