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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Little Women Also see Gil's reviews of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, End of the Rainbow, Greater Tuna, The Three Javelinas, Shrek the Musical
Already having been adapted into numerous films, TV movies, and even an opera, it's no surprise that a big Broadway musical was made from Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, though it wasn't that successful, closing after just four months after opening in January 2004. Having seen that production, I know that the elements that easily got lost in a large Broadway theatre were the intimate details of the story and the connection and bond that the sisters have with each other. Fortunately, that isn't the case when staging this big musical in Brelby's small space. It is the intimacy of the story and the closeness of the tight-knit March family that resonates, resulting in a thrilling emotional journey. Little Women, the Musical focuses on the March family who lives in Concord, Massachusetts. While their father is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, mother Marmee raises her four daughters alone, with the plot following all four girls over numerous years as they grow up and become women. Together, all four "little women" face social obstacles and experience moments of happiness that include them finding romance, but they also have to deal with some sadness as well. Alcott based the siblings on herself and her three sisters, with the main character of Jo, an aspiring writer, modeled closely on Alcott. While Allan Knee's book for the musical makes a few small changes to the famous novel, and obviously can't include every detail from it, the musical amounts to a fairly accurate representation of the major events of the novel and the end result is a joyous, uplifting experience. Not every song in the score, with lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland, is a winner, but there are plenty of varied pieces of music, many rousing ensemble numbers for the March clan and several soaring numbers for Jo. One of the beauties of Alcott's book is that all four sisters have extremely different personalities and director Shelby Maticic has found a talented cast that make each of the women of the March family distinct, bringing them to vibrant life. Alexandra Utpadel is splendid as Jo, giving the character an urgency and energy that is infectious. She not only cares for her family but about finding the joy in life as well. Utpadel brings out Jo's passion, yet her agitated facial expressions when things don't go as she planned, and her constant shouts of "Christopher Columbus!" when they do, perfectly show how she is full of fire. Her vocals are just as good, instilling each song with a clear meaning as well as perfect tone, control, and power that sends the songs soaring. It's an excellent performance. Mary Jane McCloskey is touching as Marmee. While she tries to hold the family together, she also has two moving songs that show the strain of her husband not being home, and McCloskey's rich voice brings out the emotions beneath the lyrics, especially her moving act two "Days of Plenty." As the rest of the March's, April Rideout, Lydia McCloskey, and Mia Passarella are all excellent as Meg, Beth, and Amy. While Rideout doesn't get much to do as the oldest sister, she imparts a nice sense of romance in her portrayal. McCloskey brings a sweetness to Beth, as well as a closeness to the relationship she has with her sisters and her mother. Passarella is hilarious as the youngest sister Amy. She is jealous of Jo, and overly dramatic; as the youngest of the group, she also changes the most from young girl to young woman, and Passarella shows the changes in Amy expertly. All of the women have good singing voices and having real life mother/daughter Mary Jane and Lydia McCloskey in the cast brings a grounded real life connection to this family that resonates with the whole cast. The men in the cast are almost as good. Jaren Navenma is Laurie, Jo's suitor and he gives the character a nice sense of nervousness, which works exceptionally well for the way he would most likely be when dealing with these strong women. While Navenma's singing voice isn't as good as the women in the cast, with his high notes a little weak, it doesn't detract from the sweetness of the character. As the Professor that Jo meets in New York, Matt Vansen is quite good. He is charming yet hesitant in his dealings with the energetic Jo, though his thick German accent leaves a bit to be desired. In smaller parts, Rob Dominguez, Clayton Caufman, Kay Gray, and Carolyn McBurney provide nice support, with Gray's overbearing and judgmental Aunt expertly done. Shelby Maticic stages the entire production effectively, achieving exceptional portrayals from her cast. With just a few small set pieces, Brian Maticic's set design is extremely minimal, with several pieces of wooden boards of different lengths set toward the back of the stage to depict the rising peak of the attic of the March house, where Jo goes to write. While it may not be the best design to depict the various locations of the story, it never detracts from the action and actually makes the importance of the March house, and the family within, always present throughout. William Gratza's costumes, on the other hand, are anything but minimal, with impressive, beautiful period dresses and appropriate suits for the men. Little Women is an extremely well-known story and while the musical doesn't add anything new to this popular coming of age tale and might feel a bit episodic or melodramatic, since it mainly only includes the highlights from Alcott's novel, it still is a moving emotional journey of these young women. Brelby's production is simple, but that works to its advantage to get straight to the core of this one family's story of joys and heartbreak. The Brelby Theatre Company production of Little Women runs through May 23rd, 2015, with performances at 6835 N 58th Avenue in Glendale. Tickets are available at www.brelby.com or by phone at (623) 282-2781 Director: Shelby Maticic Cast:
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