IF YOU GOWhat: "Little Women - The Broadway Musical."When: 7:30 p.m. today and March 16; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and March 17.Where: Catoosa County Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, Ga.Admission: $15 adults, $12 children/students/seniors, $11 groups.Phone: 935-9000.Website: www.colonnadecenter.com.
Even if the setting of "Little Women" is 150 years old, its themes are timeless, says the director of a March sisters musical that opens today at the Catoosa County Colonnade.
"Little Women - The Broadway Musical," which runs this weekend and next, is the inaugural work by Ever After Productions.
The semi-autobiographical play by Louisa May Alcott features music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee. The production will feature a live orchestra.
"The show is a must-see because of the journey it takes you on," director Jonathan Humble said. "We all struggle with growing up. We all want to be astonishing. We all want to make something of ourselves. You see what Jo is going through [with] all of these triumphs and tragedies. It really speaks to the modern audiences."
The plot focuses on the four sisters, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy and kindhearted Beth, plus their beloved mom, Marmee, at their home in Concord, Mass. The girls' father is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War.
"It does feel whole," Humble said of the musical. "It's a complete journey at a higher-level overview. Everything [from the novel] is not there, naturally. But you're not lost if you come to see it and you've never read the novel."
The music, he said, "feels modern but not out of place for the period of the story. The music turns a great story into an epic journey for the stage."
It features some 17 musical numbers, the director said, but, being "more of an intimate journey," there are more solos and duets than full-cast or ensemble numbers. It also has some period dance, he said.
Humble said the stage design for the production includes a cutaway, two-story house fashioned by John Fava of Associated Builders.
Humble said the production has moments that will elicit laughter and others that may bring tears.
"It's current because of its theme," he said. "It's a great show to bring the family to."
"Little Women" is produced by Jan Daigle. Its musical director is Sara Gard.