Musical adaptation of Little Women opens at MC
Special to The Clinton Courier
Lyric Stage at MC will bring Louisa May Alcott’s cherished coming-of-age novel to life – in musical form – during four stage performances featuring full orchestra accompaniment and authentic period costumes.
Little Women, the semi-autobiographical story of the four March sisters’ struggles with poverty and relationships while growing up in New England during the American Civil War, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 30 to April 1, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall in the Aven Fine Arts Building at Mississippi College.
Audiences will experience a wide range of emotions while they follow Jo’s quest to become a published author, Meg’s early marriage and sudden family, Amy’s journey to nurture her artistic desires, Beth’s waxing and waning health, and Marmee’s efforts to counsel and protect her daughters through personal triumphs and tragedies.
“This is a full theatrical production with an absolutely fantastic cast,” said Nicholas Perna, associate professor of voice pedagogy and Lyric Stage at MC producer. “The sisters experience heartache, they experience loss, they experience joy, and, eventually, even love.”
The characters in Little Women are so rich that most of the roles have been double-cast: patrons who attend subsequent performances will be treated to an almost entirely different set of actors each night.
Annalee Crawford, a graduate student from Clinton, cast as one of two Marmees, said the musical version of Little Women captures the essence of Alcott’s work extremely well.
“This show has a rollercoaster of emotions, and I want the audience to experience the depth and emotion that the characters are feeling,” said Crawford, who is in the Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy Program at MC.
Jamie Ertle, adjunct faculty in the Department of Music, serves as stage director; Beth Everett, director of choral activities, serves as music director; and Camden Clem, an English literature major, serves as stage manager.
To commemorate the performance, Perna commissioned award-winning textile artist Natalie Novacek to design and produce a handmade quilt with the Lyric Stage at MC logo embroidered on the back.
At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Lyric Stage at MC will host dinner at the newly renovated Latimer House on MC’s campus, including a preview performance of a pair of songs from the production, followed by the show in Aven. Little Women Soiree tickets cost $100 each, and tickets for the quilt drawing are $20 each.
General admission tickets are $25 each or $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased at www.instagram.com/LyricsStageMC/.
For more information, call Dottie Serio at 601-925-3440.
