As I searched my library catalog for the "Little Women" movie I stumbled across "Little Women the Musical." I had no idea someone had made a musical of Louisa May Alcott's beloved book!
According to the blog, the Broadway production appears to have toured from about August 2005 to August 2006. I didn't take the time to read through the blog but it is full of pictures of the cast and crew.
I recently listened to the original Broadway cast recording on CD. It made me want to go see a Broadway show!! I always enjoy a good musical.
Though I enjoyed the music on the CD, I found it difficult to follow the story. No dialogue is included so if you aren't familiar with the novel already you will be totally lost by song number 3.
From what I could gather, the musical begins with Jo in New York rejected. She then starts writing and flashbacks to the "good" years before she left home. During the flashback we hear several songs of her dramatic over-the-top early writings. Then we are brought back to her present and find her at home in Concord, Massachusetts.
In all honesty, I didn't enjoy this CD as a representation of "Little Women." Too much liberty was taken with the story for my liking. And the songs just don't fit with the personality of Jo March.
But, if your library happens to have a copy you can listen to for free then go for it! If nothing else, it'll make you dance around the house (or wish you could dance, depending on your dancing abilities).
Had you heard of Little Women the Musical before? Did you see it on tour?
*** This post is included in a series on Louisa May Alcott.
2 comments:
I HAVE heard of it, but didn't see it (I think it was slightly before my time here in the area). It didn't play too long here in NYC, and then it went on tour.
(I don't know if this is your plan, but feel free to link this up tomorrow in the Louisa May Alcott Classics Bookclub -- OR if you have another post, you can link back to this one within it)
Oh yes! We usually get traveling Broadway performances up in Portland. This one came through when I was uncomfortably pregnant with Bookworm1 and I refused to be trapped inside of a theatre seat. (The only Broadway performance I consented to during the later half of the pregnancy was Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan and even then I demanded a aisle seat.)
I heard the musical was good but the idea of people randomly singing in the middle of this particular story is something I find very suspect.
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