Approaching as it does three hours – when you factor in the audience getting settled and two acts split by an intermission – The Arlington Players’ production of “Little Women: The Broadway Musical” is more a long-term commitment than a late-summer fling.
But those who stick with it are rewarded by an entertaining, thoughtful and often funny script, some good musical numbers and casting that goes 10-for-10.
As the title suggests, the show was a Broadway musical of 20 years ago, adapted from the Louisa May Alcott somewhat-autobiographical tale of family life in Civil War-era Massachusetts. Her work ran to nearly 800 pages, giving the show’s original creative team much to work with, but also plenty of hard choices to make in what to keep and what to cut. (More on that later.)
The Arlington Players’ production benefits from the strong casting of Ariel Friendly as Jo March, who aspires to a creative life while living with her mother (played by Jennifer Redford) and sisters (Emily Carbone, Gina Strohbach and Rachel Hogan Delp), who all have distinctively individual personalities.
Also in the cast are Peter M. Marsh as the cranky old man who lives next door and eventually warms up; Cam Powell as his chipper grandson; Andrew Edwards as the tutor who heads off to war; Karen Wright as the girls’ austere great aunt with control issues; and Andy Shaw as the professor trying to make sense of Jo’s writing efforts and unique personality.
All are very effective (that’s what I meant about casting going 10-for-10), and director Elizabeth Suzanne, music director Paige Rammelkamp and choreographer Victoria Jungck have fashioned a spry rendition of the plot, which has many moving pieces.
The orchestra, led by Jackie Owen, finds its niche beginning with the sprightly overture and keeps on going, complementing the strong voices of most cast members (notably Friendly, who can belt out numbers with the best of them).
Sets (Alex Bryce, Kim Leone), costumes (Joan Lawrence) and lighting (Ken Crowley, Patti Crowley) were all effective. A going-above-and-beyond-award needs to be bestowed on the production’s sound designer, Larson Miller, who traveled to Alcott’s childhood home in Massachusetts last month to record doors opening and closing, squeaky footsteps and logs being placed on the woodpile for incorporation into the effects of the show.
Reviews for the 2005 Broadway production were mixed, noting key flaws: The story has too much character development to stay to a reasonable running length and tends to meander at times. In an era of ever-diminishing attention spans, MTI (which controls the rights and performance rules for local troupes) might want to attempt some nips and tucks to bring it in 15 to 20 minutes shorter.
That, however, is something of a quibble. The reality is, those looking for a solid night out with strong performances throughout should take time to catch one of the last-weekend performances.
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“Little Women: The Broadway Musical” continues through Sept. 22 at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 South Old Glebe Road in Arlington.
For tickets and information, see the Website at thearlingtonplayers.org.
