I have loved the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott since I was a little girl. It was the first big book I ever finished and it along with Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (and the Little House books) helped shape my love of literature and stories. It’s probably not a surprise I am also a big fan of the Broadway musical from 2005 with book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland. Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy has a new production of this musical in their Jewelbox Theatre and it is an outstanding piece of musical theatre.

I saw the Tues/Thur/Sat cast and they are all excellent in their roles. I particularly enjoyed the male leads (I know funny to say in Little Women but it’s true!) Weston Wright brings a nerdy energy I like to see with Laurie, Landon Horton has a flawless German accent as Professor Bhaer, and George Banner is quite the dreamboat as John Brooke. The women are also great and they had a believable chemistry together as sisters and family. Scout Smith has the independent spirit needed for Jo and Claire Kenny is perfect as Marmee (“Days of Plenty” was a highlight of the night.)

Another standout of this production is the direction by David Smith. He manages to get an intimate and close feel which is not easy to do with the awe and spectacle of Hale. I loved the projection design by Madeline Ashton featuring letters and excerpts from Jo’s books that would change as the story moved forward.  Also the set was cleverly used with a rotating stage with the attic and living room somehow converting to everything from a ballroom to Cape Cod depending on the scene requirements.

The costume design by Joy Zhu is very impressive with each girls look evolving as her situation changed. I love how Zhu used multiple prints within the same look and the ballgowns were clearly from another era as they were Marmee’s former gowns. Amy’s dress is also decidedly European when she comes back from Europe. Details like this keep the visitor entertained which is important in a story they have no doubt seen many times on both stage and screen.

Another small detail I appreciate is the ambient sound from sound designer Kristin Tenney. Since the set is relatively simple it adds something to hear birds chirping when the characters are meant to be outside or the sea hitting the beach when Jo and Beth are at Cape Cod. We go to Hale Sandy for this type of immersive experience, and they deliver in Little Women.

I suppose the only downside to the immovable set is it does not allow for large group scenes like Sally Moffat’s ball is more talked about than seen but I was impressed they made the fantastical sequences work around the sets (these sequences can sometimes drag in this show but they keep things moving pretty well) Like I said, “Days of Plenty” is a highlight of the night as well as “Some Things are Meant to Be.”

Any fan of Little Women will definitely love the new production at Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy. It’d be a fantastic show to introduce families to live theatre and Hale offers half price tickets for youth. Tickets are selling out fast so get yours now here.

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