Little Women: The Musical at The Hopeful Theatre Project
“Little Women,” a musical written by Allan Knee in 2005 and based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, tells the story of four sisters whose dreams persist, even as their environment suggests otherwise. The Hopeful Theatre Project’s interpretation of this musical aims to support the charity Girls Write Now, donating 75% of ticket proceeds to their cause.
Upon entering the space, we’re welcomed by a central staging configuration accompanied by classical renditions of pop tunes. In the corners, we see an attic, a fireplace, and a piano, each element contributing to an environment that feels both inviting and steeped in a sense of antiquity. Throughout the play, the central space is transformed from scene to scene. While the cast and crew demonstrated great determination in making these changes in the dark, the time each transition took—combined with the frequency of the changes—began to diminish the energy the actors had built in each preceding scene.
In this story, we meet Jo March (Cammi Collins) and her sisters Meg (Becca Miller), Beth (Sabrina Daly), and Amy (Makenna Clark). Each brings a unique personality and set of dreams to the stage. From an interpretative standpoint, Collins imbues Jo with a commanding, almost overbearing leadership style. Miller portrays Meg as grounded and romantic, Daly captures Beth’s gentle sweetness and kindness, and Clark gives Amy a petulant edge, emphasizing her youthful self-centeredness. However, the lack of development in certain moments leaves some of the sisters’ decisions feeling unjustified, as the audience isn’t fully immersed in their thought processes. As a result, actions like chopping down a neighbor’s tree or burning a manuscript come across as impulsive rather than as meaningful choices that reveal deeper aspects of the characters.
LaDonna Gaut delivers a compelling performance as Marmee, standing in stark contrast to the lack of immersion by the audience in other parts of the play. She fully embodies the character through her actions, the softness of her voice, the poise in her movements, and the deliberate emphasis she places on specific words in her songs. Gaut’s portrayal clarifies who Marmee is, what she desires, and what deeply affects her. In “Here Alone,” we observe her meticulously tidying a small mess left by her daughters, her careful movements conveying a profound sense of love and responsibility. This moment encapsulates the weight she carries on her shoulders as a mother. Later, in “Days of Plenty,” the pain in her voice is palpable, drawing the audience into her grief. I noticed many audience members, who had seemed disengaged earlier, visibly moved and even teary-eyed by the end of this performance.
The great chemistry between Meg and John Brooke (Miles Johnson) made me yearn for more moments between them. From the first moment they see each other to their married life, the development of their interactions is a perfect example of the importance of the “how.” Miller and Johnson make portraying a love story on stage seem effortless. Another well-developed relationship is between Beth and Mr. Laurence (Dan Powderly). In just one scene, Daly and Powderly transform our perception of Mr. Laurence, shifting him from a grumpy neighbor to someone who is genuinely inspired to gift a piano to a girl, bringing a sense of paternal warmth to his character.
However, throughout the play, we encounter several inconsistencies between the story and the actions on stage. For instance, it’s unclear why Jo’s shoes remain partially untied throughout the entire performance, even as her character evolves into the inspired woman who writes the story. Similarly, the choice to have only two of the sisters wearing wigs feels unexplained. While Jo’s wig can be justified from a technical standpoint, the reason for Amy’s is less apparent. There’s also a disconnect between Mr. Laurence’s supposed high social status and the visible wear and tear on his clothing, such as threads hanging loose. Most notably, Amy’s precise and graceful dancing feels inconsistent because she had been carried off after a fall just moments earlier.
Throughout this play, most actions felt robotic, lacking a smooth flow from one to the next. At times, the actors seemed to be pretending rather than truly acting, such as when they mimed moving a piano that didn’t actually move or pretending to search for a manuscript in an obviously empty folder. Combined with the lack of references that made some performances feel cartoonish, this made us perceive the play as a story being told rather than a world inviting us in. However, this acting style worked in moments when the performances were intentionally overacted, such as when the characters in Jo's stories appeared.
Finally, I must say that I admire the level of concentration required from the actors while singing to a track instead of live music. Although the lack of microphones caused the voices to occasionally fade between the music, the actors stayed in sync and consistently followed the track.
RUNNING: Through Nov 10, 2024
VENUE: Mainstage 222, Irving, TX