Theatre Review: ‘Little Women: The Broadway Musical’

 

Madeline Trumble (Jo) credit Amy Newton

If you enjoyed Little Women by Louisa May, you may like the musical. It is being directed by Tamara Kangas Erickson showing at Artistry Theatre in Bloomington through November 28th.   

Little Women is the story of Jo March (Madeline Trumble), a writer who rebels against 19th century conventions. Jo has three sisters; the eldest sister Meg(Camryn Buelow), along with timid Beth(Lauren Hugh), and romantic Amy(Shinah Hey).  Then there's the mother, Marmee(Kersten Rodau), and the wealthy, disapproving Aunt March(Angela Timberman) who is a source of strength and inspiration for Jo but also her nemesis.  Jo would rather travel and write adventure novels than follow customs and get married, a plan complicated when she meets the socially naïve Professor Bhaer.  Except for timid Beth, the other sisters find their suitors as well. The play travels in time between the childhood home in Massachusetts and Jo's college in New York.

In the first act, strong shouldered, straight back Aunt March brings a very comedic vibe to the play.  She looks at Jo with a serious face and says, “You should be saving yourself." and Jo responds with “I don’t need saving.”

Aunt March often chides Jo as she cuts her hair short and acts decidedly unlady-like by speaking her mind and wearing odd fashions. It’s delightful to see Aunt March’s reaction when she wins her games of manipulation, like The Little Mermaid's grand villainess, Ursula.

Meg is Jo's opposite, her femininity and damsel-in-distress roles are hilarious as she collapses on a sofa to feign a sprained ankle after dancing with her love interest, Mr. John Brooks (Matthew Hall).

A scene in which Brooks lays on the ground pinned there with a knife leaves me smiling. I want to get up on stage and sword fight with the actors or lead like Jo did; directing the choreography for fight scenes with my hands.

But what impressed me the most was Mr. Lawrence (Brian Frutiger) whose grumpy disposition was reminiscent of “Scrooge.” He entered the scenes with a strong voice. His playful piano playing was a nice juxtaposition to a musical that could have added a few more comedic beats, if the script would have allowed.

The orchestra led by director Anita Ruth did a fantastic job of being in sync with the performance, a strong feat considering how the actors improvised instruments and often sang in staccato phrases.

Little Women contains themes of femininity, love, and sacrifice. It is a musical that defines love.  As Jo says "We don't love for society, we love for what's inside us."

Come see a musical that will promise a great night out with the family.  Tickets at artistrymn.org