LITTLE WOMEN WITH A BIG PRESENCE
Allen Knee took on a daunting task in creating a play from Louise Mae Alcott’s hefty 1868–69 two-volume novel, but he also cuts back the narrative for the musical version of Little Women with Jason Howland’s music and Mindi Dickstein’s lyrics, which opened on Broadway with Sutton Foster in 2005. Your feelings about the outcome may depend, to some degree, if you’re a fan of the original book or if Moxie Theatre‘s production is your first exposure to the four March sisters.
The protagonist is Jo March (Mikaela Macias), a coming-of-age woman in Massachusetts during the Civil War. Jo has virtually no interest in social proprieties or fitting in; she’s a gal at least a century ahead of her time. Marriage is without any value to her because a husband would only hinder her plans to travel the world and make a difference within it. Conversely, she treasures her relationships with her three sisters: the gentile Beth (Nio Russell), the romantic Meg (Becca Myers), and her polar opposite, the childish socialite-wannabe Amy (Lena Ceja).
One can criticize that Knee’s tremendous editing drops much of the book’s plot and, with it, character development as we rush through Jo’s life. But if you haven’t read the book like yours truly, this delightfully rich tale will sweep you up into the lives of these young women. The first quarter is, understandably, a little heavy in exposition, as if it were specifically targeted for younger audiences.
But as the show continues, Jo’s struggles, both as a woman and talented writer who craves to be more than her opportunities allow, is moving. A rejection letter she receives, telling her that instead of writing, she should go have babies is sickening. The mischief she creates for the good of the family is elating. And gasps are heard from viewers when a jealous Amy wrongs her. Regardless of edits, it’s easy to be invested in plot direction and the characters’ outcome, with much credit due to Leigh Scarritt’s excellent pacing and staging that keeps the pace moving.
Dickstein’s lyrics wisely give more insight into the feelings of the four, their mother Marmee (Constance Jewel Lopez), and several others, rather than using the lyrics to advance the plot: Cementing our affection for Beth, Russell joins in a sweet harmonic duet (“Off to Massachusetts”) with Will Doyle as neighbor Mr. Laurence; Meg’s love duet with suitor John Brooke (Ryan Hadley) captures our hearts; and — while Macias’s voice is more power-laden than melodic — it suits Jo March just right, especially in the moving “The Fire Within Me.”
While the songs are enjoyable, it would take repeat listenings to get tunes caught in one’s head; there’s a lot being said in the songs rather than finding simple, memorable choruses. A few songs, like “Astonishing,” are longer than need be to make their points, but overall the imagery, insight, and emotion of the songs are charming and complement the script well.
Moxie is running Little Women in tandem with Alexis Scheer’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, with the four leads in each show being the same four women. The former is a long and physically demanding program (especially for Macias) while the latter is more emotionally challenging. To their great credit, most days the four actors are performing both shows. It’s hard to say which would be tougher: learning two plays at the same time or giving so much on stage every afternoon and evening; either way, the quartet hits the mark in both.
As a side note, bravo to Albee Alavardo for doing such a fine job with Jo’s wig that I had to sneak a peek at the playbill to confirm that she really was the same woman playing Kit in the other show. Another congrats to co-scenic designers Atria Pirouzmana and Ali Roustaei for creating a complicated set that works for both shows, with virtually every prop needing to be removed and replaced between shows.
While this is an excellent show to bring tween and teen girls to, don’t let the title scare off bigger women (and big men, for that matter). This is a lively, fun, and touching tale, well-written and even better-performed by four talented, heavily-taxed actresses and a great supporting cast.
photos by Daren Scott
Little Women: The Musical
plays in rep with Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd. Suite N, in San Diego
ends on December 8, 2024
for tickets, call 858.598.7620 or visit Moxie Theatre