Did B'way-Bound Little Women Astonish Critics?

Little Women, starring Tony winner Sutton Foster, opened its pre-Broadway tryout at Duke University's Reynolds Theatre this week. The new musical, which features music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindy Dickstein, a book by Allan Knee and direction by Susan H. Schulman, will have its official Broadway opening at the Virginia Theatre on January 23. Did critics think the tuner brought the magic of the Louisa May Alcott to life?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Robert C. Page III of Variety: "Powerhouse personnel onstage and off infuse Little Women: The Musical with humor and comedy to broaden its appeal to contempo audiences, compromising the effort to capture the spirit of Louisa May Alcott's classic. The tradeoff is that the novel's essence--the compassion, poignancy, heartbreak, elation and hope of everyday life--is not sustained. The less a patron knows about the book or Alcott, the more this musicalized version's charm will work. A better balance should be vigorously pursued during the three months between tryouts at Duke U. and the scheduled opening Jan. 23 at Broadway's Virginia Theater…A 14-piece orchestra of area musicians doesn't perform with the confidence that more experienced players will have in boosting big-venue tuners. Cast, lyrics and music are enjoyable, although several weaker numbers could be chiseled to save time or allow for expansion of dialogue in emotionally stronger scenes."

Orla Swift of The News & Observer: "Foster is a gem. It takes mere moments to fall in love with her Jo, a delightful blend of gawkiness, candor and charisma. Her voice is pure and strong. Her acting feels genuine and focused. And her physicality is brilliant in comedic and sober moments alike. John Hickok is also well cast as Jo's mentor and eventual romantic interest, Professor Bhaer. Even in the early scenes, when the professor is stern and exasperated with the tireless Jo, Hickok gives us glimpses of the vulnerability we will later see. Danny Gurwin is charming as Jo's lovelorn pal Laurie, as are Jenny Powers and Jim Weitzer as her sister Meg and the neighbor's tutor John Brooke, who marry. The pair's love song, near the end of Act I, was the first heart-tugging number on opening night in a score that has precious few. We feel a true connection between characters here, the like of which is too infrequent in this generally peppy musical… Even at just under three hours, including intermission, the musical feels rushed, both in the predominant tempo of its score and in pivotal emotional moments… As it stands, there's ample reason to catch Little Women: The Musical before it leaves its Durham nest. But just as the professor says of Jo's early manuscripts, this musical has the ability to be even better."

Byron Woods of The Independent Weekly: "This carefully calibrated family show has been systemically tweaked toward mass taste. Even so, it amazingly still maintains in large part the spontaneity of Jo March, the free-spirited young writer who's its central character. Much of this is no doubt due to Sutton Foster's exuberant performance in that role. Allan Knee's book wisely plunges us into Jo's blood-and-thunder melodramas from the start, alternating between the realities of frugal family life during the Civil War and the vivid world of her imagination. Though Jason Howland's music and Mindi Dickstein's lyrics seem Broadway boilerplate in places, they score with the amusing melodrama of 'An Operatic Tragedy' in act one, and Jo's similarly-pitched exploits in 'The Weekly Volcano Press' in act two... This production convinces as it shows a vivid young woman negotiating the precarious passages from adolescence to adulthood, while miraculously hanging on to her dreams of literature--and independence. That, in itself, is little less than astonishing."

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