Moonlight Productions will present "Little Women: The Musical" at the First Congregational Church in Georgetown tomorrow, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic 19th-century novel first appeared on Broadway in 2005.
This tale of four sisters with contrasting temperaments and aspirations growing up in a household presided over only by their mother drew details from the author's life. Alcott and her three sisters were raised during the Civil War in Concord.
According to stage manager Bob Pitts, Moonlight's production expands the size of the chorus. Where some of the Broadway production's 10 actors had doubled as chorus members, Moonlight's cast of 37 gives an ample voice to musical numbers.
In a dynamic performance, Kimberly Johnson | who also does choreography for the show | handles the role of Jo March, the character closest to Alcott's biographical self. In the song opening the second act, Jo | a writer, like Alcott | acts out the plot of one of her potboiler stories, similar to those Alcott in fact wrote to support her family. In this scene, Jo is surrounded by the imagined presence of her fictional characters, as well as the very real landlady to whom she is describing the contents of the story, and relating her attempts to sell it to a publisher.
The large chorus is very effective in this number, which is both comical and rousing, and it includes the voices of several local actors. Caitlin Ryan, Michelle Prior and Meghan Flaherty of Georgetown, as well as Robbie Stahley of Groveland, all contribute to the singing. Jenny Donovan, a sophomore at Georgetown High School, plays Mrs. Kirke, the landlady at the boarding house where Jo stays while she peddles her fiction.
Donovan says this is the sixth show she has done at Moonlight Productions, and she plans to act in this summer's productions. She has done some straight, non-musical plays at the high school, in addition to playing flute in the band and taking voice lessons. "It's just a fun thing to do," Donovan says of her appearances in the theater. She has auditioned for Moonlight's next play, "Children of Eden," which has yet to be cast.
Another student at Georgetown High School, junior Erika Santosuosso, did not have a part in the scene rehearsed, but does have a leading role as one of the four March sisters. As Beth, the second-youngest, Santosuosso's character is a gentle, music-loving soul who eventually dies from scarlet fever. Santosuosso recently practiced the duet in which Beth has a playful conversation with Mr. Laurence, a neighbor who disapproves of his grandson's developing relationship with Jo. Santosuosso's sweet singing voice projects the beatific Beth perfectly.
"Little Women" is Santosuosso's eighth show with Moonlight Productions. She has had roles in the musicals "Les Miserables," "Cinderella" and "Oklahoma!," in addition to playing Miranda in a production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
"I enjoy the challenge," Santosuosso says of speaking the great playwright's Elizabethan English. Her relish for dramatic challenges will lead her to pursue dramatic arts at college, and she is currently planning to apply to Flordia State and Syracuse.
Moonlight Productions is directed by J.T. Turner, who founded the company in 1996. Productions usually involve some adult actors, to assist in the process of mentoring young students in staging musicals. Moonlight Productions is a non-profit organization that charges an annual fee for a season running from September to September in addition to individual production fees. There are three plays planned for the upcoming summer season, which are described at the Web site, www.moonlightproductions.org.
Cast members of "Little Women" at the Georgetown Congregational Church. From left, front, Sandi Nason (Marme), Erika Santosousso (Beth), Rebekah Nason (Amy); back, Julia Scherer-Hoock (Meg) and Kimberly Robertson (Jo). Handout/(Click for larger image)
