Little Women opens this weekend

City Circle - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville, in partnership with the Iowa Children's Museum, will present Little Women the Musical at the Iowa Children's Museum April 11, 12, 18, and 19 at 8 p.m. and April 13 and 20 at 2:30 p.m.

Little Women the Musical is based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel that follows the story of the four March sisters—Meg, Beth, Amy, and Jo—as they grow up in Civil War America.

With a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, this show will thrill longtime fans of the book and those hearing the story for the first time. This is a perfect way to introduce young people to musical theater and classic young adult fiction.

Featuring a host of local talent, there are two casts for this production; one performing each weekend of the show's two-weekend run.

For weekend one, Rachel Scott, Megan Sands, Cassandra Schiano, and Nora Scherschel will play Meg, Beth, Amy, and Jo March (respectively) with Ann Muilenburg as Marmee. Rounding out the first weekend cast are Jonathan Meadows as Meg's Mr. Brooks and Zachary Hutchens as the dashing Rodrigo.

Weekend two will feature Libby Hadenfeldt, Mary Rinderspacher, Ali Heath, and Lauren Baker as Meg, Beth, Amy, and Jo (respectively). Their Marmee will be played by Patti McTaggart, with Zachary Hutchens stepping in as Mr. Brooks and Jason Millsap as the equally dashing Rodrigo.

Present for both weekends will be Andy Lamp as the faithful, brother-like Laurie, Glenn Singer as the erstwhile curmudgeon Mr. Lawrence, Roxanne Gustaveson as the indomitable Aunt March, Scott Riley as the dastardly Braxton, Megan Sands as the fair, fiery Clarrisa, Richard Paulus as the noble Knight, Amy Ostrem as the Lead Troll, Amber Jannusch as the head Hag, Peggy Wilkinson as the well-intentioned Mrs. Kirk, and Kehry Lane as the patient Professor Baher. The show also features a chorus of talented local actors playing townspeople, city folk, hags, trolls, monks, and ballroom dancers.

Tickets are $10 for youth, $15 for senior citizens and students, and $20 for adults. They are available for purchase at the Coralville Recreation Center, J. Frahm Music, Iowa Children's Museum, or by calling 319/248-1750.

The show is directed by Chris Okiishi with musical direction by Ben Bentler.

The interactive exhibit "Stepping into Little Women the Musical" is currently on view at the Iowa Children's Museum and is based on the stories within the musical. Families can experience unique scenes from the show such as waltzing on a Victorian era front porch, designing a city street, becoming a street vendor, a ready-to-decorate garden wedding, and more.

Participants can also create stories using verbs, adjectives, and nouns on a 30-foot Mad Lib storyboard.

Little Women the Musical is the final production of City Circle's 10th season.