High-Schooler's Take on Woodson's 'Little Women'

Editor's Note: This review was submitted by Elisabeth Bloxam of Westfield High School. It has not been edited. The show is held at W. T. Woodson High School November 11-13.

In the words of Jo March – "Christopher Columbus!" Full of heart and plenty of laughs, W.T. Woodson High School's recent production of Little Women, the Musical was certainly "meant to be."

Little Women, the Musical, written by Allan Knee, with music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein, first premiered on Broadway in 2005. Based on Louisa May Alcott's 1869 novel of the same name, Little Women is the story of four sisters growing up in Civil War America. The musical is presented largely as a series of vignettes as Jo March (Robin Chinn) reminisces about life with her beloved sisters. As they grow older, Jo is forced to accept that the sisters cannot always stay together.

Chinn's ebullient performance perfectly captured Jo's spunk and independence. She also displayed a softer side in "Some Things Are Meant to Be," a poignant duet with Ana Mendelson (Beth). Joining Chinn and Mendelson were Amy Bronick and Lucy Mink as Meg and Amy. The four actresses portrayed the indomitable March sisters with enthusiasm and charm and created extremely believable relationships, as showcased in songs such as "Our Finest Dreams" and "I'd Be Delighted."

In the song "Five Forever," the sisters were joined by Andreas Moffett, who charmed the audience as the delightfully awkward Laurie. Moffett successfully portrayed his character's growth from gawky teen to confident adult.

With spot-on comedic timing and hilarious facial expressions, Emily Adler stole the show as the family's cantankerous matriarch, Aunt March. Adler's hilarity was only increased by her clear delivery of the show's funniest lines. While several actors rushed through lines and had difficulty projecting, Adler's clear articulation made her easy to understand.

The movable set was versatile and effective, even turning impressively during a song, to reveal an entirely different location. Although transitions were often lengthy, the skilled stage crew (Jess MacDonald, Jennifer Grape, and Ellen Neukam) worked efficiently to move the large set pieces. The lighting team (Tom Zelvin, Shannon Kearney, and David Willmore) worked creatively to light the lower levels of the set, even installing lights on the set itself. Spotlights, however, were not bright enough to fully illuminate actors and were often distracting. Microphone malfunctions persisted throughout the production, making it difficult to understand some actors.

Despite some technical difficulties, W.T. Woodson's spirited performance of Little Women was truly a "most amazing thing!"