From those of us who thought Louisa May Alcott a lightweight; Geez, Louise. We had no idea.
Not only does Village get Louisa May. They get her, stage her and sing her back. The only thing little about this “Little Women” is the title.
So what do our times have in common with a penny-pinching mom, four daughters and a father off to the not-so-civil Civil War? What don’t they? That list is shorter.
But hardship in time of war is only a backdrop to what Sean Hartley, Alison Hubbard and Kim Oler had in mind when they wrote the book, lyrics and music. The real story is about feminine sensibility, its tenderness and toughness. Men, it can teach us a thing or two.
A man climbing a corporate ladder couldn’t be more driven than the March family’s oldest daughter, Jo. But how many execs on the way up would bother with their family’s troubles and woes, heart and soul?
Victoria Huston-Elem in the role makes Jo a self-absorbed, obsessive, compulsive fiction writer but with depth, feeling and a voice you can’t not hear. Standout performance in a standout role.
Jo’s grit on the flip side shows in her little sister, Beth. Beth is sickly, soft-spoken, gifted musically and anything but take-charge. But on the inside? Tough as nails.
Michaela Koerner deceives you into thinking Beth’s a wimp; then, wham! Hits you with heroism you can only hope to have. Shanna Marie Palmer stands the tender-tough thing on the light side as sister, Amy. Her quarter of the four-sister quartet, “The Worst Christmas,” amounts to a little girl stamping her feet because mom can’t afford to buy presents. Later, when she marries her Prince Charming, she sees to it he toes the line; for Amy, a quantum leap; for Palmer, a move from cute, to somewhere between cute and charming. Either way, it’s a kick.
This is a superbly mounted showpiece backed by Daniella Topol’s clear-sighted, heartfelt directing and a solid supporting cast. Tim Symons’ musical directing and a with-it orchestra make the shifts in mood smoothly and with just the right tough of nostalgia stopping short of sentimentality.
Women will laugh and cry; mine did. As for men, best get in touch with the feminine side. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwartznegger notwithstanding, action heroes don’t have to blow things up. Grace under pressure can show in “Little Women.” Vive la difference!
Reactions? Comments? E-mail Dale Burrows at entopinion@comcast.net or grayghost7@comcast.net.
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