Little Women at Amelia Community Theatre Blends Bold Staging with Standout Performances

A sold-out Little Women: The Musical opened at Amelia Community Theatre on Saturday night and wastes no time upending expectations. After receiving her twenty-second rejection letter, this time from a publisher who deems her story “tasteless and vulgar,” Jo March vents her frustration to her friend Professor Bhaer. Intrigued, he asks what the story is about, and Jo perks up immediately. “Blood and guts stuff. It’s all the rage. The magazines and periodicals are full of it!”

Inspired, Jo leaps onto the couch, swinging an imaginary sword as her imagination comes alive on the elevated stage behind her. Her sisters burst into view acting out the melodrama, complete with a heroine in the throes of being kidnapped. If you are expecting a tame sentimental story about four sweet girls simply because the title is Little Women, you will be startled by the first musical number where the sisters gleefully belt out:

“Christmas will be thrilled! Christmas will be gory! Christmas will exceed our finest dreams!”

The scenic design marks a remarkable improvement from the slapdash sets of Singin’ in the Rain back in April. Here, the stage resembles a stately wooden vessel, part pirate ship part storybook attic, as if lifted from the sea and placed inside the theater.

Second eldest daughter Jo March is played by Nicole Sheehan. Stubborn, imaginative and ambitious, Sheehan brings a fresh translation of Jo unlike any I’ve seen on the silver screen. Her zest for life can’t be contained by the gender expectations of the day, yet that same fire comes with a sizeable chip on her shoulder. Jo is independent to a fault. She dismisses nearly every piece of advice her wealthy Aunt March offers — including the pointed reminder, “We earn our dreams in this world, Josephine.”

Lisa Knapp plays a prickly yet sage Aunt March. When the chance arises to travel abroad, Jo leaps at the opportunity — even after Aunt March warns she must first “sand down her rough edges.” Knapp’s guidance lands with particular weight as she sings, “I do believe you could captivate the world. If you could change, there is so much you could achieve.”

Perhaps Jo’s fierce independence comes from the poverty the March family endures while her father is away serving in the Civil War. Marmee works tirelessly to provide for her four daughters, but it is often just enough to scrape by. Growing up where every comfort is earned, Jo develops a deep aversion to dependence of any kind, clinging instead to the belief that she must forge her own path through her writing.

Their poverty becomes clear as Jo and eldest sister Meg prepare for the Valentine’s ball. At the dance, their new neighbor Laurie quickly bonds with Jo while Meg finds herself besotted with Laurie’s tutor, John Brooke. Laurie, played by Elliot Miller is a skilled dancer with clean, confident movement. Miller brings steady energy and an endearing sweetness to his character in every scene. Meg, played with warmth by Amelia Underwood, transitions convincingly from a hopeful young woman to a tender young mother. One of her most delightful scenes features Anthony Rodriguez as the dastardly Braxton Pendergast — a moment he plays with wonderfully theatrical flair.

As the March sisters form relationships with Laurie, his grandfather and John Brooke, the narrative gains focus and direction and grounds the musical in themes of friendship, aspiration and the increasingly complex ties between neighbors.

My favorite scene in the entire play unfolds between gentle, doe-like Beth and the bulldog-tempered Mr. Laurence, who barks, “Which dreadful little March girl are you?” the moment he hears her timid, out-of-tune piano playing. As he paces toward her, the contrast in their height and energy creates an unexpectedly tender dynamic. When they launch into “Off to Massachusetts,” the audience nearly gives a standing ovation — made even sweeter by the fact that the roles are played by real-life father and daughter, Joe Zaccaro and Lila Zaccaro.

Marmee, played by Renée LaCroix, embodies the quiet strength of a woman carrying more than she ever lets on. She yearns for her distant husband yet represses her own fears so as not to burden him while he is away at war. It is impossible not to feel the weight of her inner conflict, a single mother to four growing girls trying to be both their anchor and their example while having no safe place to unravel herself. LaCroix plays Marmee with a measured reserve, vulnerable, stoic, brave and tender all at once. After she sings a comforting song to Jo in the wake of the family’s loss, I notice several audience members wiping their eyes.

Amy, played by Julia Taylor, takes on the unique challenge of portraying both the younger and older versions of the character. As twelve-year-old Amy, her attitude and eye-rolling are world-class. As the older Amy, that youthful brattiness sharpens into something more shrew-like, yet Julia keeps her consistently entertaining. Rem Farr, as Professor Bhaer, brings a gentle sincerity to the role and uses his vocal inflection to land moments of comedy with effortless precision.

There are a few technical hiccups throughout the evening, including occasional audio feedback, and I would enjoy seeing Laurie played with slightly less overt lovesickness and a bit more of the platonic older-brother warmth that hints at unspoken feelings.

Coincidentally premiering on Louisa May Alcott’s own birthday, Little Women: The Musical arrives at Amelia Community Theatre with heart to spare. In the end, Jo discovers that her sisters are the fire inside her all along. Their modest imperfect life may not hold the sword-fighting escapades or grand adventures she once dreams of, but it gives her something far more powerful, the stories that shape her into the writer she becomes.

Little Women (musical) runs Saturday, November 29 through Sunday, December 14 at the ACT Main Stage.

For more information, full cast and crew credits and links to tickets, visit the Little Women (musical) page here on JaxPlays.