From being written in paper and going all the way to broadway, the story “Little Women” has lasted over 135 years in the world and is still continuing to be acknowledged even in Carmel, Indiana. The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre opened the show “Little Women: the Broadway Musical” to the public on Sept. 11 and will go on until Sept. 26.
Originally a book written by Louisa May Alcott in 1880, the story of the four March sisters has been adapted to a 1958 TV series, multiple Broadway plays, a musical, a ballet, an opera and has been made into seven different movies. Now the story has transformed into a musical and has come to Indiana for people of all ages to enjoy.
The musical’s director Michael Lasley believes Alcott’s story is a classic and enjoys having the opportunity to bring the story to the stage.
“I’ve directed [Little Women] before about 9 years ago in 2006 and it was a brand new piece that just came off broadway and we didn’t know a lot about it. I fell in love with the piece so I was excited to have the opportunity to bring it back and move the show to Carmel,” Lasley said.
Throughout the show, the characters break out into song and start singing about their emotions and thoughts. Although some of the songs seem to be dragged out a little long, it is hard to notice over the talented voices of the actors on stage.
Obviously “Little Women” was not put together overnight. Lasley believes that putting together a musical can be tedious but it is all worth it. The actors and crew members put in a lot of work behind the scenes to get the show ready for an audience.
“It takes about a total of 5 months to put a musical together from the time we started working on the concept to the time we opened,” Lasley said. “The actors were cast in June and we started rehearsing at the end of July. Each one of the actors and staff put in about 100 hours of rehearsal time.”
When students think of musicals, they often find themselves thinking about the popular teenage movie “High School Musical.” Teenagers may not know that musicals can have deeper meanings that teach a person a life lesson for the long run.
“Little Women” can inspire women to be persistent in achieving their goals no matter how much they get knocked down. The main protagonist Jo March, whom many believe is unreasonable and imaginative, empowers women of all ages to thrive and not be pressured by the opinions of the world.
While watching this show, the audience will be one their toes the entire time. At one moment, the audience will be filled with joy and laughter, while the next minute they will feel sadness and empathy.
The recreation of March was spot on from the facial expressions to March’s witty catch phrase “Christopher Columbus!” Although sometimes it seems like the corniness is way over the top, it is a necessary aspect that leads people wanting more.
Tickets for “Little Women: the Broadway Musical” costs $20 for students and $40 for adults, which is a fairly reasonable price considering the aspects of the entire show.
The next show coming to the Civic Theatre is Ken Ludwig’s “The Game’s Afoot” directed by Lasley. It is a murder-mystery that is good for an audience of all ages.
To learn more about the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre or how to purchase tickets for upcoming shows, visit www.civictheatre.org.
