Centenary’s NEXTstage Repertory Takes on Little Women The Musical

Centenary Stage Company’s NEXTstage Repertory presented Little Women The Broadway Musical from April 23 to May 3 in the Sitnik Theatre located in the David and Carol Lackland Center.  

Little Women follows the story of the March siblings as they navigate through their lives in Civil War America. Jo March, played by Katie O’Shea, is an aspiring writer whose stories have been rejected numerous times. 

Beth March, played my Pamella Welsch, is the caring oldest sister who is a pianist and just wants her siblings to get along. Meg March, played  by Erin Clark, wants to find love and enjoy her life with her sisters. Finally, Amy March, played by Raelyn Menon, is the youngest of the March siblings who is eager to be a lady and is inspired by her older sisters. 

I really enjoyed seeing this show. Everyone in the cast did a phenomenal job in their roles. One standout performance to me was Layla Stanziale as Marmee. I was blown away by her solo number, “Here Alone,” at the beginning of the play. Not only was her acting astonishing, but her strong vocal skills blew me away. 

Additionally, the costumes were perfect for the show. The dresses and suits matched the timeline for the show perfectly and displayed each character. 

While the show's performances were done extremely well, I was not the biggest fan of the plot, most specifically the ending. 

*Spoilers Ahead*

Throughout the whole musical, Jo expresses how she never wants to get married. She just wants to be a successful writer. That being said, during the first act, we see a blooming relationship between Jo and Laurie Lawerence, played by Daniel Richarme. However, Jo turns him down once he confesses his feelings. 

Fast forward to the end, Professor Bhaer, Jo’s writing mentor in New York, confesses his feelings for Jo and proposes. Jo ends up accepting, causing me to be very conflicted, as Bhaer was only in three scenes throughout the two-hour play so we never really saw a connection build.

As a whole, Little Women the Musical was amazingly done, and I had a great time seeing my peers shine.  

If you would like to see a show by Centenary Stage Company, visit https://www.centenarystageco.org/.