Lincoln Community High School Theater presents Little Women, the Musical

 

[May 01, 2024] 

Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5, the theater department at Lincoln Community High School will present “Little Women, the Musical.” On Tuesday, the cast members, set crew, and pit orchestra were working hard to prepare for these performances.

When dress rehearsal was getting ready to begin, Director Kim Peterson Quinn gave the students a pep talk. She said, “know where you are, remember everything is about love and consider why some characters are on the journey they are on.”

This musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic book Little Women shares the story of the March family during the Civil War, depicting the tight relationship between the sisters and their mother throughout various adventures and struggles.

The four March sisters, which include the romantic Meg, aspiring writer Jo, tenderhearted Beth and fun loving Amy, live in Concord, Massachusetts with their Marmee while their father is fighting in the war.

The opening scene finds Jo March living in a boarding house in New York. She has just received her twenty second rejection letter with all the publishers telling her she should go home. Jo asks fellow boarder Professor Bhaer to read her story and share his opinion on it. Unfortunately, the professor does not give her the feedback she hopes for, saying he does not like the blood and guts in the story. He thinks she could write a better story.

The next scene is a flashback to a couple of years before where Jo has written an operatic tragedy that she wants her sisters to perform, so she tells them what roles to play. Jo promises her sisters one day she will be a successful writer and they will not be so poor as she sings “Our Finest Dreams.”

When Marmee shows up, the sisters gather round so she can read them the letter written by their father. As she tries to write back, Marmee sings “Here Alone,” explaining how life is at the March home without her husband there.

Neighbors Laurie (Theodore) Laurence and his grumpy grandfather, Mr. Laurence, appear after Jo “borrows” a tree from their property. She calms Mr. Laurence when she promises to plant several more to replace it.

We meet Aunt March when Jo is helping her out. Singing “Could You,” Aunt March promises to take Jo to Europe if Jo changes her ways and becomes more ladylike.

At a ball a few years later, the romantic Meg meets John Brooke, her future husband.

That same night, Amy, who is jealous that she cannot attend the ball, burns Jo’s manuscript, which causes major conflict between Jo and Amy.

Sometime later, Laurie invites Jo to a skating race. When Amy wants to go skating, Beth offers Amy her old skates.

Beth is content to stay inside and play the out of tune piano. When Mr. Laurence comes in looking for his grandson and hears her playing. The music softens his heart and together they play “Off to Massachusetts” As he leaves, he invites Beth to come play his piano anytime.

While skating, Amy ends up falling through the ice and being carried inside by Laurie. Jo and Amy make up after this near tragedy. They make Laurie an honorary family member and all sing “Five Forever.”

As Act one draws to a close, Marmee is heading to Washington to be with her ill husband. Jo cuts her hair to help provide funds for the trip, which upsets Aunt March. They argue and Aunt March decides not to take Jo to Europe. Instead, she takes Amy, who she feels can become a society lady.

Around this time, Mr. Brooke comes to tell Meg he has enlisted in the army and proposed to her singing “More Than I am.”

Act Two opens in New York in 1886 after the war has ended. In the first scene, Jo comes in with the news she has sold to “operatic tragedy” after making it better like Professor Bhaer suggested.

Jo’s exciting news is dimmed by the news that her sister Beth is gravely ill. She returns home to help her sister and mother, but they eventually lose Beth.

By the end of the story there are many other changes, with Meg marrying and becoming a mother, Jo becoming a published writer and Amy marrying Laurie. Professor Bhaer appears on Amy’s wedding day declaring his love for Jo.

Come see the tragedies and triumphs of the March family set to music to see how it all plays out.

The cast and crew

“Little Women the Musical” is music teacher Kim Peterson Quinn’s last production at the school as she will be retiring at the end of May after 30 years of teaching. Peterson Quinn said she has a handful of talented junior girls and feels this musical displays their talents.

Some of the cast members are familiar faces who have performed in LCHS productions the last couple of years.

Since these cast members have acted together previously, the students playing the March family are already a tight knit group. Acting like they are family comes easily to them.

Kristina Morrow, who plays oldest sister Meg March said, “Some may not know this, but the wonderful ladies I get to be on stage with as sisters and daughter, I have known since at least freshman year.” Even off the stage, Morrow said, “we act like a family as we plan, laugh, and bicker with one another in class or other activities. Going into the audition and especially now, we already have that organic chemistry to our group, [so] the story we tell becomes a remix of our own as we have all felt the emotions of anger, joy, and sadness that the March family have.”

Lacy Buss plays Marmee, the matriarch of the March clan and also noted the close relationship of the group. Buss said, “Charlie McFadden, Jo in the show, and I have been friends since we were very young (6 and 7 years old), so having that relationship in the show has been really fun and has come pretty easily. As for the rest of my daughters in the show, they and Charlie have been my main friend group for a couple of years now and this show has been such a good experience for us.” She said, “I’ll be very sad to graduate and leave them.”

Buss also said, “It’s sad that this is PQ’s last one, but I know she’ll continue to support us and help us with anything we may need. That’s one of my favorite things about her. I was very shy and rarely said anything my freshman year, but she saw something in me that I couldn’t, and here I am today! I truly wouldn’t be who I am today if she hadn’t put that little bit of pressure on me to audition for my first show.”

The other members of the March family are Beth, played by Presley Coale; Amy, played by Emma Adams; and Jo, played by Charlie McFadden. These three starred in last year’s production of “Annie” with Coale playing orphan Annie, Adams playing the wealthy Olivia Warbucks and McFadden playing wicked orphanage director Mrs. Hannigan.

Aunt March, played by another stage veteran Gray Tolliver, is the family’s grumpy aunt. Tolliver said Aunt March’s grumpiness can probably be attributed to losing her husband, having a nephew fighting in the war and having to care for her great nieces.

Wyatt Ulvestad plays close family friend Laurie (Theodore) Laurence, who eventually marries Amy March. Ulvestad played FDR in last year’s Annie, and said while he enjoyed playing FDR, he really enjoys playing Laurie because it is fun and easy for him to get into character.

Rounding out the cast are individuals who play neighbors and friends of the family.

This show is the 30th production Peterson-Quinn has been involved with in one aspect or another. Before directing, she worked with vocals and choreography.

“Little Women the Musical” is the eighth production Peterson-Quinn has directed at LCHS. Previous productions include “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Charlie Brown,” “The Music Man,” “Seussical the Musical,” “Peter Pan,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Sound of Music” and “Annie.”

Peterson-Quinn is also a veteran of the stage having played Doo Wop in “Little Shop of Horrors,” Abigail Adams in “1776,” a housewife in “Working,” Captain Hook in “Peter Pan” and the queen in “Once Upon A Mattress.” Last summer, she performed in the LCT production “Nunsense.”

On the production team assisting Peterson Quinn are Vocal Director Tim Searby, Accompanist Julie Kasa and Pit Orchestra Director Nigel Range and sound technician Devin Vannoy all of whom have many years of experience in these areas.

Other members of the production team are costume stitcher Kristen Green and stage managers Emery Kitterman and Maelee Cunningham. Chuck McFadden and Tom Steiner did the set construction. Costumes were provided by McAuley High School and Grand Ball Costumes. Projections were provided by Rick Frendt, Inc. The programs were prepared by Janet Cameron and her computer applications class.

The tech/stage crew includes Cadin Frawley, Kami Battin, Aubrey Lichtenwalter, Rory Snyder, Charlie Saffer, Asher Jackson, Arielle Rempe and Alaina Bauer.

Cast

• Emma Adams
as Amy March

• Charlie McFadden
as Jo March

• Presley Coale
as Beth March

• Kristina Morrow
as Meg March

• Lacy Buss
as Marmee March

• Gray Tolliver
as Aunt March

• Summer Barone
as Rodrigo II and Mrs. Kirk

• Ruby Thomas
as Clarissa

• Seraphim Ostrander and Kenzie Plummer
as Hag(witch) Trolls

• Nick O’Laughlin
as Mr. John Brooke

• Logan Pumfrey
as Professor Bhaer

• Wyatt Ulvestad
as Laurie (Theodore) Laurence

• Grant Eales
as Rodrigo/Knight

• Zack Eckhardt
as Mr. Laurence/Braxton

Pit Orchestra

• Benson Zollinger-trombone
• Rosalind Sanchez-clarinet
• Caleb Roady-percussion
• Rich Stuemke-trumpet
• Becky Kunken-violin
• David Helm-Bass

Come out and see these talented individuals at one of the performances in the LCHS auditorium Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at 7:00 p.m. or Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and are $8 for children under 18 and senior citizens and $10 for general public.

[Angela Reiners]