Little Women Auditions Coming Soon

Anamosa - Auditions for Little Women will be held October 2, 3, 4 of 2011 at 7 pm at the Starlighters Theatre in Anamosa. The director is Jan Cratsenberg (Monticello). For more information, e-mail cratsen@gmail.com.

Based on one of the most popular pieces of literature, Little Women follows the joys and hardships of the four young and inseparable March sisters: outspoken Jo, motherly Meg, quiet Beth, and worldly Amy. While at home with their mother and beloved cook, Hannah, they anxiously await their father's return from the Civil War. The girls wrestle with the problems of poverty and everyday life, but with wisdom from Marmee and the love of family, we watch them mature and grow. Written by Peter Clapham, and based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, the play faithfully brings the story of this timeless classic to the stage, weaving together the lives of the March sisters and their neighbor, Laurie. Little Women will make you laugh, cry and appreciate what is truly important in life.

Production Dates:
December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2 pm

Characters:
Amy March (ages 11-13)
Beth March (ages 14 -18)
Jo March (ages 17-25)
Meg March (ages 18-25)
Hannah (age 50s)
Mrs. March [Marmee] (late 40s)
Laurie (ages 16-22)
Mr. Lawrence (60s)
Mr. Match (50s)

* Actors do not necessarily need to be in the age ranges given, as long as they could possibly play someone in that age range.

Little Women review

City Circle - City Circle has done a number of shows at the Iowa Children’s Museum. Some have felt a little strange in that setting. I’m thinking of City Circle Shorts with its adult themes. However, Little Women the Musical is a perfect collaboration between the two organizations and a model for the way in which non-profits can work together to provide education and entertainment to our community. But beyond the kudos for good teamwork, the show itself is one audiences of all ages will enjoy.

After returning home from the play, I pulled my copy of the novel off my bookshelf and was surprised to find the book is much longer than I had remembered. The musical does a pretty good job of paring it down and giving the audience the heart of the story, which is Jo’s journey and the love of the sisters. The one exception to that I discuss later on.

Nora Scherschel is wonderful as Jo. She embodies the rebel while still making family loyalty her most attractive trait. The other sisters are all excellent as well. Only Megan Sands seems a little miscast as the sickly and quiet Beth. Beth is supposed to be the sister who blends into the background. Overall, Sands does a good job showing us the sweetness of the character, but I never once believed she was ill or enjoyed being in the background.

Offering a truly outstanding performance was Ann Muilenberg as Marmee, the sisters' mother. Her song Here Alone was a highlight of the evening. Anderson Lamp's portrayal of Laurie was spot on and Roxanne Gustaveson provided the most laughs as Aunt March.

I do have to tell you, though, that if you see the show this weekend, you will not see the same Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy that I saw. There's an entirely different cast for the lead actors this coming weekend. Therefore, I will devote the rest of this review to the elements of the production that will not change.

One has to mention the set. It was wonderfully simple and complex. A piano slides out when needed. The background changes unobtrusively and without slowing the action down. The back of the performance space can be lit with different color lights, emphasizing the emotion of that scene. They even fly a kite! Michael Blake deserves many kudos for creating a wonderfully flexible set.

The music is also excellent. I was completely unfamiliar with the songs, but a number of them stuck with me after the show. Particularly nice are Beth and Mr. Brook's duet Off to Massachusetts and the show stopping production Five Forever.

The supporting cast, which you will see this weekend, were also strong. Twelve-year-old Amy Ostrem as the Lead Troll stole the show when she was onstage. She's one to watch in the future. Also fun was the sword fighting, which was perfectly choreographed by Nate Kula of Rage Theatrics.

Director Chris Okiishi keeps the action moving from scene to scene. Sometimes it was difficult to see everything, but that's more a fault of the chair set up than the direction. Stagger the chairs so we're not looking at the back of the head of the person in front of us!

The only criticism I have of the show is its length and the starting time. At two hours and forty minutes, it may be a bit of a challenge for younger kids, especially with an 8 pm start time. I didn't bring my seven-year-old daughter to the show because she'd have been asleep on my lap by 10:00 pm. For a kid friendly show, perhaps a 7 pm start time would be better. The one weakness of the script adds to this problem: its desire to give us what amounts to an epilogue. Ending the musical with the wonderfully directed moment when Jo writes the first words of what became her famous novel would have been a stronger choice and given us a more palatable length.

Still, don't allow that criticism to keep you away from Little Women this weekend. It's a fun show, wonderfully created by the talented folks at City Circle. But if you have little kids, I recommend the matinée performance.

--Matthew Falduto


Matthew has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. He has directed, acted in, and produced theater in the Iowa City area for over ten years. He has worked with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle and Dreamwell, of which he is a founder. Two of his plays have been produced in the Iowa City area. In another brief life, he also worked as a technical writer.

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.