PERFECT HOLIDAY TREAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! |
November 20 - December 27, 2009
Little Women -
The Broadway Musical
Book by Allan Knee
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Directed by Casey Long
Musical Direction by Mike Wilkins
Choreographed by Jessie McLean
- 11/01/09 ARTICLE: OC Metro
- 11/20/09 ARTICLE: LA Stage Blog
- 11/23/09 ARTICLE: Broadway World
- 11/24/09 REVIEW: StageSceneLA.com
- 11/25/09 REVIEW: Orange County Register
- 11/25/09 REVIEW: EDGE Los Angeles
- 11/25/09 REVIEW: Back Stage
- 12/09/09 REVIEW: Press-Enterprise
- 12/10/09 ARTICLE: Examiner.com
THEATER ARTICLE
Orange County's Chance Theater presents
LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL
by Broadway World
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ANAHEIM HILLS, CA - Just in time for the holidays comes a tune-filled theatrical gift: LITTLE WOMEN: The Broadway Musical, presented by The Chance Theater November 20 – December 27. This Tony Award-nominated musical, adapted from children’s literature and American history, is guaranteed to bring families together through song and dance this holiday season.
Fans of Chance productions of Anne of Green Gables will fall in love with LITTLE WOMEN: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL. The play follows the saga of the four March sisters and their beloved Marmee, who live at home in Concord, Massachusetts while the father is serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. The musical begins with the March sisters reminiscing about a Christmas past and "trying to find something to be happy about for Christmas."
"Little Women is the second play in our series of family literature offerings that will be performed during the holidays," explains Chance Theater managing director Casey Long, who will also be directing the show. "Our audiences really enjoyed our staging of Anne of Green Gables for the past two years, and we're looking forward to offering another classic tale that will be perfect for the entire family."
Louise May Alcott (1832-1888) originally wrote Little Women in two parts that were published in 1868 and 1869. The complete book was published in 1880 and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood in Concord, Massachusetts. The book became so popular that Alcott followed the story with two sequels: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Little Women has been adapted many times for film and stage, most recently as LITTLE WOMEN: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL, which starred Maureen McGovern as Marmee and Sutton Foster, who received a Tony® nomination for her portrayal as Jo.
Chance Theater's production of LITTLE WOMEN: THE MUSICAL, based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott is directed by Chance Theater Managing Director Casey Long. Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and the Book is by Allan Knee. Musical direction is by Mike Wilkins and Choreography is by Jessie McLean.
Performances of LITTLE WOMEN: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL at The Chance Theater are on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm, Saturday matinees at 3 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm & 7 pm (Nov. 22 at 5 pm). Please note that there are no performances on Nov. 26, Dec. 24 or Dec. 25.
The Chance Theater is located at 5552 E. La Palma Ave, Anaheim Hills, CA 92807. Visit www.chancetheater.com or call 714.777.3033 for tickets.
About the Chance Theater
Recently named "Outstanding Arts Organization" for the second time by Arts Orange County, the Chance is proud to be wrapping up its Mainstage Series of Season 11 as one of the leading ensemble based theatre companies in Southern California. Voted "Best Theater Group" by MyFoxLA for two years in a row and "Best Small Theater" by Orange Coast Magazine, and a recipient of the 2007 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's (LADCC) Polly Warfield Award for Excellence, a vital component of the Chance Theater's mission has always been to intimately present personally meaningful, uniquely engaging stories that promote dialogue within our community and provide a visceral experience for theatergoers. As a constituent member of Theater Communications Group (TCG), Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET), and the Los Angeles Stage Alliance (LASA), the Chance continues to bring national attention to Southern California theater through its recent achievements, which include a 2006 GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theater.
Recently, Chance Theater received multiple nominations for the 2008-2009 Ovation Awards, presented by the L.A. Stage Alliance. They include Best Season, Best Production of a Musical (Intimate Theater), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, and Best Scenic Design.
For more information or to make secure reservations, contact www.chancetheater.com
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THEATER ARTICLE
Families Can Take a Chance for Holiday Shows
by Greta McAnany, LA Stage Blog
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This holiday season The Chance Theater tells a story of the power of family and artistic expression for all to enjoy. As a part of their continuing family literature series, The Chance is presenting Little Women: The Broadway Musical with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott.
After a successful run of Anne of Green Gables at the end of 2007, The Chance’s Managing Director Casey Long, who directs Little Women, believes this show is another opportunity for the family to enjoy theatre together during the holidays. “We stayed with the same approach of Anne of Green Gables but we wanted to build on it and really show the power of family in this narrative,” says Long.
Long has been at The Chance since 1999 as an actor, lighting and sound designer, and managing director. “I have worn many hats, just like the rest of our company members,” he says.
Long describes Little Women as a timeless tale of the journey of a family through the many unexpected struggles and joys they experience. The show begins with the March sisters singing about the hope they have for a happy Christmas despite the absence of their father this year.
“The male figure of the house is away at the Civil War and his absence is an ever lingering presence throughout the show,” says Long. “This obstacle really shows the strength of family in the toughest of times.”
Little Women narrates the lives of the March sisters but focuses on the middle sister Jo’s personal journey as she searches for inspiration to write her family’s story. “Jo serves as a reminder of how you can make plans but life may throw you curve balls you are not prepared for,” he says.
One of the biggest challenges while working on the show was converting the story to be told in a 49-seat theater. Long did not think of the space as an impediment but merely as a tool to foster a connection with the audience. “We approach any show we do as if it was written for our space,” he says. “Doing the show in an intimate space includes the audience as part of the family so they really feel like they are with the sisters in their attic.”
Long uses flats and projections to create the many locations where the story takes place. These simple set choices create a believable yet workable environment for the cast to experiment and explore the world of the play.
During the six weeks of rehearsal, Long relied heavily on his cast to make this beloved tale come to life. With a mixed bag of veterans and rookies ranging in age from 12 to over 50, Long had what he describes as “quite a bag of riches to choose from” in auditions.
The show is extremely ensemble oriented and therefore Long gave much of the responsibility and artistic ownership to the cast. “I don’t just simply tell my actors what blocking to do,” he says. “I want the storytelling to be owned by the people performing it.”
This group attitude fostered an atmosphere of family that extended beyond the stage. “We are a very professional theatre company but during rehearsal we just felt like a family,” says Long. “There is a bond in the acting, something that is really there.”
This intense bond is an element that adds to the poignant story already written and makes this production of Little Women truly a family affair.
For all of you Scrooges who want something a little less sentimental this holiday season, The Chance is also producing the celebrated The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode. Directed by Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen, this raunchy, anti-holiday Chance tradition tells the hilarious truth about Santa Claus from the perspective of his eight reindeer.
This is Reindeer Monologues’ sixth year but despite the same script, it is a different show every night. “There is such a sense of freedom in this show,” says Long. “Every night we rotate actors so there is something new and ridiculous.”
Long says it is the perfect adult holiday show so he recommends leaving the kids at home. The two productions wrap up The Chance Theatre’s 11th season.
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THEATER ARTICLE
Little Women: The Broadway Musical
by Tina Borgatta and John Gordon, OC Metro
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Adapted from the classic children’s book by American author Louise May Alcott, “Little Women: The Broadway Musical’ follows the lives of four sisters living in Concord, Mass., during the Civil War. The opening scene captures the girls chatting about Christmas and “trying to find something to be happy about,” since their father is away, serving as a chaplain for the Union Army.
This production marks the second in a series of offerings designed for families during the holidays.
“Our audiences really enjoyed our staging of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ for the past two years, and we’re looking forward to offering another classic tale that will be perfect for the entire family,” says Chance Theater's director, Casey Long, who is also directing the production.
Among some of The Chance’s other notable productions of the past year: an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” “Hair” and “Evita.”
Now celebrating its 10-year anniversary, The Chance Theater is a gem. Since its debut season in 1999 – which featured a lineup of original works by local talent – it has gained acclaim for being among Southern California’s leading ensemble-based companies. This year alone, it [was nominated for] six Ovation Awards, as well as kudos from Arts Orange County, the Orange County Register and MyFoxLA’s OC Hotlist.
"Little Women: The Broadway Musical"
Nov. 20-Dec. 27
The Chance Theater
5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills
714.777.3033; chancetheater.com
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THEATER REVIEW
Little Women: The Broadway Musical
by Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA.com
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Little Women The Broadway Musical has been a favorite of mine since I first heard its tuneful score (music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein) and later saw a performance of the National Tour. Book writer Allan Knee somehow managed to compact Alcott’s 400-plus-word novel into a two-and-a-half hour musical which retains the book’s most memorable moments (Jo’s stealing a Christmas tree from the neighboring Laurence family’s property, jealous Amy burning Jo’s manuscript, Jo’s shame at finding a scorch mark on her gown the night of the big party, etc.) while adding songs which run the gamut from Jo’s feisty “Better” to the bouncy “I’d Be Delighted,” to the rousing Act 1 closer “Astonishing.”
I can’t imagine a better musical adaptation of the children’s and young adult classic than Howland and Dickstein’s, and now Anaheim Hills’ The Chance Theater has scaled down the 2005 Broadway production to intimate theater dimensions (a full orchestra becomes a single piano here), the smaller setting providing a particularly appropriate fit for Alcott’s family tale. Under Casey Long’s imaginative direction, a quintet of musical theater triple-threats bring the four March sisters to vibrant life (two actresses appear as Amy), and with its all-around excellent supporting cast, this is an evening of theater sure to enchant not only Little Women’s legion of fans but just about any musical theater aficionado.
Scenic designer Katherine Futterer sets the scene immediately with giant-sized pages from Little Women on either side of an upstage screen which initially shows the first two pages of Alcott’s most famous novel. Projected drawings of pen-and-ink sketches, looking like 19th Century book illustrations, replace these pages on the center screen as the story progresses, allowing quick scene changes to the story’s many locales.
At lights up, we’re in New York as aspiring writer Jo describes to her German friend Professor Bhaer a story she’s written. “It’s a mean and stormy night,” she begins. “The moors are bleak and bloody. Thunder claps. Lightning strikes. And there, Clarissa, her clothes in disarray, races across the wild coastal heath.” Then, as Jo continues her tale in song, lights come up on her sister Meg, friend John Brooke, and boy-next-door Laurie Laurence standing before those stage left and right pages and costumed as Clarissa, Braxton, and Rodrigo. As Jo tells her melodramatic adventure tale, her gestures are mimicked in perfect sync by the characters she’s created (or is she mimicking them?). Rodrigo has just entered “in magnificent splendor” when Professor Bhaer interrupts Jo with a critique and some words of advice. Certainly Jo could do better than this, couldn’t she? “Better?!” exclaims an infuriated Jo. “My stories were a great success in Concord!”
We then flash back several years to the Concord, Massachusetts home of the March family. The year is 1863. The Civil War is still raging, and the family patriarch is serving as a Union Army chaplain. Left at home is his wife “Marmee” and daughters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, who pass their time enacting Jo’s romantic adventure stories. Tomboy Jo dreams of being a writer, and when her Aunt March offers her the chance to travel to Europe as her companion (on condition that Jo learn to act like a lady), Jo jumps at the chance. Unfortunately for Jo, becoming a true lady is easier said than done, and when she discovers that jealous younger sister Amy has burned her latest story in a fit of pique, Jo reacts in a very unladylike manner.
For anyone unfamiliar with Little Women’s multiple plotlines, synopsizing ends here. Suffice it to say that there will be joys, sorrows, disappointments, romances, wedding proposals, and an ending promising much more still in store for the March sisters. (Alcott did, after all, write two sequels to Little Women.)
Chance Theater co-founder Erika C. Miller seems born to play Jo, and her work here is possibly her best ever. Absolutely captivating in the role, Miller’s spunky, romantic Jo grabs your attention (and heart) from the get-go, and she performs Jo’s many songs in a lovely, expressive soprano. Her sisters are equally well cast. Stephanie Philo is a warm and caring Meg (a kind of Marmee, Jr.), Melissa Dunham captures Beth’s innate sweetness (and has the strongest voice of the evening), and Sarah Pierce and Ali Axelrad manage to be entirely believable as younger and older versions of the same Amy. (The original Broadway production had a single actress as the youngest March sister, but having the adorable and gifted Pierce as young Amy makes the character’s childish moments far more believable than with an adult actress pretending to be twelve. The lovely Axelrad makes you believe that she is Pierce a few years later, and sings gorgeously.)
Brandon Sanchez is an absolutely winning Laurie, a boy any March sister would want to have as boyfriend or brother. Handsome Andrew Eddins does solid work as John Brooke, the young man who steals Meg’s heart, and Jason James disappears into the stuffy yet secretly romantic skin of Professor Bhaer. All three are excellent singers, Sanchez not shirking from the challenge of that killer high note in “Take A Chance On Me.”
As Marmie, Eloise Coopersmith gets the show’s two most gorgeous, moving ballads (performed on Broadway by Maureen McGovern, a tough act to follow). Coopersmith sings them both with heartfelt emotion, and acts the part to perfection. Sherry Domerego is hilariously quirky as both Aunt March and Jo’s New York landlady Mrs. Kirk. Glenn Koppel couldn’t be better as gruff Mr. Laurence with a heart of mush.
In his first solo directorial assignment at the Chance, resident company member Long does a bang-up job, his personal touch everywhere, from clever bits of business to the three-dimensional characters his cast of actors have created. Jessie McLean has choreographed several charming dance sequences. Futterer’s set design is complimented by Masako Tobaru’s effective lighting. Rae Henderson’s costumes are period-perfect and fit each character’s personality to a T. Director Long is responsible for the production’s fine sound and projection design.
Little Women is the perfect musical for anyone who found Hair too edgy or Anne Of Green Gables too sweet. It somehow manages the nearly impossible, to appeal to children, teens, and everyone else from eighteen to eighty. I have the feeling that Little Women is going to be one of the Chance’s biggest musical hits ever. Laughter, romance, excitement, tears—Little Women The Broadway Musical has them all.
Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills. Through December 27. Fridays at 8:00. Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00. Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Thursdays December 3, 10, and 17 at 8:00. Reservations: 714 777-3033 www.chancetheater.com
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THEATER REVIEW
'Little Women' well performed in Anaheim
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
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You'd be pretty hard pressed to find a literary work that's been adapted for the stage and screen more frequently than "Little Women."
Yet, the 2005 stage musicalization of Louisa May Alcott's classic is the only version to depart from the novel in favor of original material, with songs by Jason Howland (music) and Mindy Dickstein (lyrics).
"Little Women – The Broadway Musical" is also a choice holiday selection for The Chance Theater, which in recent years has opted for pieces like "Anne of Green Gables" and the stage version of the 1983 Bob Clark movie "A Christmas Story."
What these various works have in common is their memoir-style, semi-autobiographical nature. In the case of "Little Women," Alcott chose the tomboyish, exuberant budding author Josephine "Jo" March as her alter-ego.
The "little women," as mom "Marmee" March calls them, are pretty eldest daughter Margaret ("Meg"); Jo; sweet, musically talented Beth; and youngest daughter Amy, whose often spiteful nature is at odds with her marked talent as an artist.
The musical version's libretto by Allan Knee hews very closely to previous stage versions – a lightly humorous mixture of memoir, tear-jerker and 19th-century feminism.
The show's songs give The Chance the chance to do what it does best: Showcase the vocal skills of its company members and, in the process, offer a fanciful and often keenly sentimental story suited for family holiday-season viewing and especially well-suited for children. ...
Dickstein's lyrics are enjoyable and inventive, and this cast is game, with enthusiastic renderings spiced by Jessie McLean's choreography. In many ways, director Casey Long, the company's managing director, has a dream cast, starting with Chance co-founder Erika C. Miller in the focal role of Jo.
Miller captures the flamboyant Jo's fiery, devil-may-care nature. Her portrayal is of an often eccentric iconoclast whose life seems to consist of one colorful adventure after another, and her vocal skills are well-showcased in several solos, notably "Astonishing," which outlines Jo's search for her place in the world, and the stormy "The Fire Within Me."
Miller has solid onstage rapport with Stephanie Philo, Melissa Dunham and Sarah Pierce as, respectively, Jo's sister Meg, Beth and Amy. Dunham's Beth is docile, sweet and kind – so much so that she defrosts the heart of Mr. Laurence (Glenn Koppel), the family's cranky, intimidating neighbor. Plagued by illness, she's the story's Camille, destined to suffer a tragic death at an early age.
Philo is well-cast as the tall, pretty Meg, while Sarah Pierce shows Amy's sharp tongue and spiteful nature. Despite Marmee's strength, wisdom and patience, Eloise Coopersmith's reading of this pivotal role is oddly rote, her best moments coming in the poignant songs "Here Alone" and "Days of Plenty" as Marmee expresses her self-doubts.
Sherry Domerego is stern, severe and formidable as the girls' cantankerous great-aunt March, whose inability to tolerate Jo's rebelliousness generates humorous moments.
Though Brandon Sanchez, Andrew Eddins and Jason James deliver solid work as, respectively, Laurie, John Brooke and Professor Bhaer, these primary male roles exist only to provide the March girls with relationships that are variously romantic and platonic.
Of these, only James' portrayal proves distinctive as Bhaer, the gentle, impoverished German whose love for Jo is undergirded with respect for her literary talent. Because of their differences in age, upbringing and temperament, the romance that blooms between Jo and Bhaer is unlikely, making it all the sweeter.
Rae Henderson's costumes are beautiful but not showy, and Katherine Futterer's scene design features a raked wooden platform surrounded by huge, burnished book pages containing text from the novel and, upstage, a blank surface onto which pen-and-ink illustrations are projected.
The results are a story and characters that are timeless and a production that's ideal for the holidays – heartwarming without becoming sappy.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Little Women'
by Kevin Taft, EDGE Los Angeles
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Straight from Broadway, Little Women: The Broadway Musical arrives at the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills to tell the tale of Jo March, an energetic and imaginative girl with aspirations of being a celebrated writer. Along with maternal older sister Meg (Stephanie Philo), shy middle sister Beth (Melissa Dunham), and spunky little sister Amy (Sarah Pierce), the story of the March sisters and their loving mother Marmee (Eloise Coopersmith) is a little slice of their lives, short on conflict, but heavy on heartfelt emotions.
The most apparent conflict in the story is between the Marches and their cranky neighbor Mr. Laurence (Glenn Koppel.) After Jo cuts down a tree from his yard so they can have a Christmas tree of their own, Mr. Laurence immediately storms over and demands she make up for her misdeed by doing work around his house.
The other confict is between Jo and her Aunt March (Sherry Domerego), a prim and proper woman with high expectations of the sisters, even threatening Jo with not taking her to Europe unless she turns into more of a lady.
Enter Laurie (Brandon Sanchez), Mr. Laurence’s nephew who quickly becomes smitten with Jo--who, for her part, prefers to be enmeshed in her writing and declares she will never get married. Jo has her dream and that dream is all that matters--aside from her family.
With their father off to war, the girls learn to raise themselves but get into the usual sisterly issues and trouble: Amy gets jealous of Jo’s writing, Meg meets a boy she quickly falls for, Jo becomes friends with Laurie only to find he’s in love with her, and Beth befriends Mr. Laurence over a piano.
All the while, Jo continues her quest to be a published author, and eventually ends up in New York where she stays in a boarding house inhabited by Professor Bhaer (Jason James), who winds up falling for her himself.
The story is compelling in a simplistic way, and it’s easy to find yourself invested in the characters despite it.
Most people who have heard of Little Women are well aware there is a death, and in Little Women: The Broadway Musical, this event happens with tact and a lack of melodrama. This is effective, but also makes the moment lack impact making it more anti-climactic than moving.
The story continues as the girls grow up and move on to their separate lives, each becoming an independent women on her own. It’s a sweet story of a sisterly bond all young girls who read the story want to have.
The direction by Casey Long is simple yet effective, and the small set consists of a rustic raked stage surrounded by oversized images of the book itself. The backdrop is made up of projected sketches of the March’s attic, NYC, and the interior of Aunt March’s house. The effect is charming, but tends to get lost in the lighting design, which washes it out, losing the effect.
The cast is uniformly excellent. Standouts include co-founder of the Chance Theatre, Erika Miller who plays Jo with an enthusiasm that holds the show together on her capable shoulders. Brandon Sanchez as Laurie is also a quite good, as is Jason James as Professor Bhaer. ...
All in all, Little Women: The Broadway Musical is a light show that is perfect for the holiday season. It probably won’t appeal to husbands and boyfriends, but for mothers and sisters everywhere, the charm of the story and the cast are a perfect way to warm the season.
Little Women: The Broadway Musical runs through December 27th. Go to www.chancetheatre.com for information and tickets, or call 714-777-3033.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Little Women - The Broadway Musical'
by Melinda Schupmann, Back Stage
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During the holiday season, theater companies generally mete out their most treacly offerings, and Louisa May Alcott's beloved story of four sisters during the Civil War certainly qualifies. This production's saving grace, however, is in the enthusiasm of its cast and its smart pacing.
The March sisters - Jo (Erika C. Miller), Beth (Melissa Dunham), Meg (Stephanie Philo), and Amy (young Sarah Pierce and older Ali Axelrad)—live quietly with their mother (Eloise Coopersmith) in Massachusetts while their father is away serving as an army chaplain. At a time when a woman's greatest desire is to marry well, Jo is rebelliously passionate about eschewing that and becoming a famous writer. Her wildly romantic tales of villains and victims figure largely in the household and as a comic contrivance for the production.
The cast is rounded out by Meg's handsome suitor (Andrew Eddins); Jo's love interest, Professor Bhaer (Jason James); the crusty duo of Aunt March (Sherry Domerego) and Mr. Lawrence (Glenn Koppel); and Lawrence's grandson, Laurie (Brandon Sanchez).
Allan Knee's book, Jason Howland's music, and Mindi Dickstein's lyrics point sweetly toward the values of love and family. The story often seems interrupted by the music rather than enhanced by it; this tends to slow down the production. Some exceptions are "More Than I Am," a lovely duet by Eddins and Philo as he leaves for war; James' poignant "How I Am" by the shy professor; and Miller's wisely revelatory "Sometimes When You Dream."
Director Casey Long uses a minimalist set for the production, and it is arguable whether actors moving furniture as needed breaks the mood. His frequent tableau-style positioning of characters often serves as an artistic snapshot. This is an ensemble show; its actors are well-matched vocally and temperamentally. Notable are James and Domerego for thoughtful characterizations.
It would be Scrooge-like to find fault with the show, as it is a crowd pleaser and a perfectly sentimental tale. There are times, though, when one wishes that the authors made the characters less noble and a lot spicier.
Presented by and at the Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Nov. 20–Dec. 27. Thu.–Fri, 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. (Dark Nov. 26, Dec. 24 and 25.) (714) 777-3033. www.chancetheater.com.
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THEATER REVIEW
'Little Women - The Broadway Musical'
by Ben Miles, Press-Enterprise
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Inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s fictionalized memoir from 1869, “Little Women: The Musical,” landed on Broadway in 2005. It was received with reviews ranging narrowly from tepid to terrible; it closed after four months and 137 performances. Following its less-than-successful run of The Great White Way, “Little Women” embarked upon a 30-city U.S. tour that lasted a full year and ended in 2006.
Now “Little Women: The Musical” has found its way to Orange County’s intimate Chance Theater—through December 27—and it’s well worth a look and a listen. Although Allan Knee’s script adaptation of Alcott’s book is hard-pressed to convey the story as effectively as Alcott’s original text did, and despite Mindi Dickstein’s forgettable lyrics and Jason Howland’s nondescript musical composition, Director Casey Long’s scaled-down production saves this staging. What’s more, Mike Wilkin’s minimalist musical direction (there’s one piano played by Wilkins, throughout) keeps the proceedings safely on track.
Set in concord Massachusetts and New York City during a three-year period of time between 1863 and 1866, the story’s protagonist is 19 year-old Jo March (Erika C. Miller in an amusingly animated and vocally sound interpretation)—a want-to-be writer who aspires to pen thrillers. (Katherine Futterer’s set-design pays homage to Alcott’s period novel by using stand-up flats inscribed with the author’s original words, while Masako Tobaru’s lighting allows for evocative projections of timely scenic outlines on a screen at up-center stage). In the meantime, Jo’s obliged to work as a governess in the Big City. Jo becomes bothered when Professor Bhaer—a fellow roomer at the boardinghouse where Jo resides (Jason James performs effectively as the placid professor)—critiques her melodramatic creations as being beneath her abilities. The Professor’s feedback, however, does motivate Jo to review and re-work true-tales from her own earlier life.
Marmee, the mother of Jo and her three sisters is, due to her husband’s far-away duties as an army chaplain, left alone to tend to the rearing of her four daughters (Eloise Coopersmith is totally 19th century in her faceted portrayal of Marmee). Indeed, the March children are replete with a love-of-life and a zest-for-living; but, there are in their lives too, the natural entanglements and sad losses that are part of human existence, the stuff of life. Some March sisters travel the path of matrimony, while another falls ill to a dreadful disease of the era. Meanwhile, Jo (Alcott’s alter-ego) finds success and meaning through publication of, you’ve probably guessed it, “Little Women.”
At two-hours and thirty minutes, it might be a wise and crafty move to reduce the song list by a few numbers, or at least consider truncating some of the routines. Still, it would be difficult and a shame to limit time in the limelight for any of these fine performers. Melissa Dunham is ethereal yet full of emotion as the sister, Beth. Dunham’s duet with Miller’s Jo—“Some Things Are Meant To Be”—is touching and lovely.
Stephanie Philo is radiant as Meg, and she easily reveals the humor embedded in this character. Though Meg has no solos, when she’s teamed in renditions of songs such as “Off to Massachusetts,” Philo’s Meg shines like a star.
Amy, the youngest of the March siblings, is embodied by two actresses: the endearingly rambunctious Sarah Pierce as young Amy, and the bright-eyed Ali Axelrad as older Amy. Each of these performers can ably carry a tune, while conveying the through-line of a single character.
Also, there’s a strong ensemble of character and support actors on display here—including Sherry Domerego in duel characterizations as Aunt March and Mrs. Kirk; a redoubtable Glenn Koppel as the staunch Mr. Laurence; the lithe and comical Brandon Sanchez as Laurie; and Andrew Eddins’ sturdy interpretation of John Brooke.
“Little Women: The Musical” is an awfully big show for a small theater on a tight budget, no doubt. Nevertheless, the artistic team at the Chance has relayed the fullness of this show while managing to encompass its epic proportions. (Oh, and the costuming by Rae Henderson is 1860s enough to literally add a texture of reality to this highly presentational event.)
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THEATER ARTICLE
'Little Women - The Broadway Musical'
by Lexy Romano, Examiner.com
[ Link to Examiner.com l Post your own review ]
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From the beloved novel Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott, The Chance Theatre of Anaheim, CA, presents the exciting new Musical version of this American classic. Little Women: The Musical is the story of Jo March and her three sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, who learn valuable lessons on how to love, how to live, and most importantly the value of family.
This heartwarming narrative continues to captivate audiences to this day and, even decades after it's first publication, sends a strong message of family bonds and sisterly love that resignates to the heart of all people. With it's endearing, yet deeply moving story, the nightly audiences of Anaheim's Chance Theatre are charmed by the delightful music and exciting plot. Under the direction of Casey Long, and the Musical Direction of Mike Wilkins, this Musical shines and lights up the stage.
Running until December 27th, 2009 there are still several more weekend showings left to enjoy this delightful musical event. For directions, ticket information, and show synopsis visit the Chance Theatre's website at Chancetheatre.com.
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