By Mikayla van Loon
“If you like the books, you’ll like the show” is what Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company director said of the musical production of Little Women.
Heading to the Castella Street theatre between 14 and 30 November, the beloved Louisa May Alcott story adaptation by Allan Knee has already been staged in Malvern with the same cast and crew.
Director Alan Burrows said the heartwarming and well-known story is only enhanced by the musical talent of composer Jason Howland and lyricist Mindi Dickstein.
“The music adds to it, because it adds to the humour, it adds to the circumstance, and it certainly adds to the drama of the piece,” he said.
“The musical score is really great because it allows each of the characters to develop through the songs they sing. So you actually see a far more rounded character through the music.
“The story is basically the same story that we all know and we’ve read about, but the songs just add to the entertainment value and also to how the characters progress.”
From songs of strength and love, to those of reflection and sadness, the full range of emotion is conveyed through music and Burrows said it helps depict the major moments in each character’s life.
Playing the head-strong, passionate Jo March, actor Anna Bearsley said not only does the musical score “propel the story along”, it also propels the essence of the story.
“It just brings to life, in the most joyous fashion, the themes of sisterhood and familial love and just childhood joy,” she said.
Feeling her whole life like she was a Jo, playing the role, Bearsley said “I was essentially just being myself”.
“I was always a tomboy. I have never had an ounce of grace to me. And growing up, I always went after what I wanted with an insane fervour that people thought I was ridiculous and a lot and just not a very mild mannered, polite woman, that was never me,” she said.
But being able to perform as Jo who is “such a beautiful and complex character” felt even more special “because she’s based on a real person”.
“The story of Little Women is so beautiful to me, because it is essentially just a retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s life. When I was rereading the book recently, I heard every word that came out of Jo’s mouth as just Louisa and her commentary on life,” Bearsley said.
“It’s just so beautiful, the way she’s able to write female characters that aren’t defined by the men in their life and are following one’s dreams and pursuing one’s passions and familial love.”
The cast of 10 and 50 costumes makes for “a very big show for us” Burrows said but ingenuity shines through to create each scene.
“We work with projections for each of the scenes and our set designer, Barry Pierce, has drawn them all,” he said.
“And not only drawn each scene, but as we go into a scene change, he’s drawn the scene being constructed so you see the scene actually develop before your eyes, before we get to it, which is really quite remarkable.
“Then we have just kept the rest of the stage with just simple bits of furniture which the cast all move so we keep the pace on the show and the amount of time between scenes is literally seconds.”
Transporting the entire show to Lilydale’s theatre for its second run, Burrows said, while minor adjustments had to be made to fit the stage, he believes it has only improved the show.
Bearsley concurred and said having already had three months of rehearsals and 14 shows at Malvern, the bond of the actors really helps deliver that sense of family.
“The more time we spend together, the closer we get,” she said.
“At Malvern, you keep getting better with each show but at Lilydale, we’re starting at that best point that we were at Malvern, and it’s only going to get better.
“I love everyone in this cast with all of my heart and they really do feel like family.”
Don’t miss seeing this heartwarming show. Find tickets by visiting lilydaleatc.com or call 9735 1777 Monday, Tuesday or Friday.
