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Three years ago the musical version of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women ran on Broadway for 137 performances. Two years ago the show was on tour, with a stop at the Aronoff Center. Now it's onstage at UC's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) for a two-week run. In many ways, the show, with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and a book by Allan Knee, faithfully reproduces the classic novel, with many affecting scenes from the story of the four March sisters, led by Jo (Sara Shepherd), an aspiring writer and progressive young woman who feels suffocated by New England propriety in the 1860s.
But Little Women has also been infected by more contemporary theatrical trends, most obviously in the form of power ballads sung by its female characters. Jo is a kindred spirit to Wicked's Elphaba, for instance. Her Act I closer, "Astonishing," reminds me of "Defying Gravity," used similarly in the Wizard of Oz retelling. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does put the emphasis more firmly on emotion than substance.
Couple that with some problems with balancing the orchestra with the singing, and the result is blunt if not incomprehensible. We witness Jo's powerful feelings, but we can't penetrate their source.
Shepherd and the actresses playing Jo's sisters — Lisa Weiner, Christy Altomare and Alessa Neeck — are certainly capable of belting out the tunes. But I was more moved by stirring numbers sung by Sarah Jay as Marmee, the sisters' mother. In "Here Alone" she yearns for her husband, a Civil War chaplain off at war; in Act II, she reminds Jo of all she has to be grateful for in the lovely "Days of Plenty." These numbers seem truer to the spirit of Alcott's tale.
On the other hand, the ebullient spirit of the novel is certainly captured by the CCM cast in each act's opening number, retellings of Jo's "blood-and-guts" attempts at literary success — "Operatic Tragedy" and "The Weekly Volcano Press." Jo recounts her melodramatic stories to her shy suitor Professor Bhaer (Kyle Brown) and they come to life on an overhead catwalk and across the stage. The actors, including Max Quinlan as the jubilant Laurie, double in these roles, often reflecting the more naturalistic characters they play — and letting us see how Jo incorporates the personalities of her sisters in her writing.
Much of the balance of the production, guest directed by Thom Christopher Warren, seems to drag. The 90-minute first act has nine scenes and 14 musical numbers. Thomas C. Umfrid's scenic design enables fluid action with elements of furniture sliding quickly on and off stage, but the storytelling suffers from the choppy script and a story driven by predictable clichés. In addition to the orchestral balance issue, actors' microphones repeatedly malfunctioned, surprising flaws in CCM's usually well-executed productions.
Shepherd nicely captures Jo's indomitable spirit, but her character would benefit from greater warmth. As starchy Aunt March, Lexie Dorsett was imposing but too caricatured, a challenge also not overcome by Carl Draper, playing the elderly Mr. Laurence. Jay's Marmee and Neeck's take on the tragic Beth offer the production's most well-rounded performances.
CCM uses these productions as teaching tools for its musical theater students, and I'm sure they learned much about working in a contemporary interpretation of a classic story. I do wish that CCM's Little Women resuscitated the soul of Alcott's novel in a more genuine way.
LITTLE WOMEN, presented by UC's College-Conservatory of Music, continues through March 9. Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.
