Production Analysis: Little Women

SDSU's production of Little Women The Musical was, in all honesty, a disappointing end to the semester. I found the play to be bland and forgettable. I was originally set to stage crew the show, but due to a scheduling issue I was unable to. Maybe if I had been involved in the show I would have had a better experience with it, but as an audience member I was underwhelmed.

I have few negative things to say about the acting. Overall, I felt that the actors discharged their roles with gusto, enthusiasm, and talent. Kati, in the lead role as Jo March, was effervescent and endearing. She captured the eager, plucky attitude of the character well. Rafi Cedeño was amusing, if not fully believable, as the crotchety Mr. Lawrence. Tommy Vendafreddo was lovable as the chipper romantic Lead, Laurie, and his wonderful singing voice was a highlight of the show. Michelle Tymich's performance as the jealous and juvenile Amy was impressive, especially considering that she took on the role only two weeks before the show opened. I especially enjoyed Tim Allen as the uptight but loving Professor Bhaer. Allen, in addition to looking the part (and having a dashingly powerful surname), has a gift for playing the awkward nice guy who finishes first in the end. When he and Jo end up together, gangly dudes like me have a silent moment of vicarious triumph. The real standout performer of the show, though, was Cassie Abate as Beth. She deftly juxtaposed external fragility with inner strength, and she consistently came off as loving and hopeful. Her final scene was the most powerful moment of the show.


However, the talented actors were working with a really mediocre script. The plot is formulaic and forgettable; I understand that it is based on a novel which is very popular and considered a classic, but to me it was totally dull. Worse than the script was the music. Bland and unmemorable, the score lacked any standout numbers. The songs all served merely as tools to advance the plot, and have no self-contained value outside of the show. The hallmark of any great musical is that a person who has never seen the show could still buy the cast recording, listen to the music, and love it. This is not the case for Little Women. I understand why the show was not successful on Broadway, and though I can see its value for high school productions I think the SDSU Musical Theatre program is of too high a caliber to perform such a lame show.