Just as the novel, "Little Women," is more than a Victorian tale about four sisters, so is the new opera, Little Women, more than a story set to verse. It is just as much a musical as it is an opera -- except the dialogue is briefer and the songs are longer.
Little Women has an impressive pedigree. The show premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 1998. It was featured on television as part of PBS's "Great Performances" series, and a cast recording was released in 2001. Creator Mark Adamo has taken the novel's rambling themes and ordered them into a set of universal truths. For instance, one of these "truths" consists of the notion that longing for the past may not prepare you for the future. The feisty Jo learns this the hard way. She shuns the romantic attentions of a maturing neighbor boy, Laurie. As a result, the heartsick Laurie falls under the spell of another March sister, the manipulative Amy. Interestingly, Little Women is not told in linear sequence, so the audience had better brush up their familiarity with the characters and story lines in advance. However, things do fall into place, eventually.
As the curtain rises we are immediately thrust into the world of the noisy, boisterous March family. All four sisters are still living under one roof. That doesn't last long, however, as Meg, the oldest, soon finds a kindred spirit in Laurie's tutor. Although at first she is unsure of her feelings for him, she eventually accepts his marriage proposal as a statement of independence. You see, Meg's Aunt March had threatened to "cut her off without a nickel" from the family fortune unless she chose a more financially stable suitor. Although such developments are less radical now than they were in the days Louisa May Alcott wrote her classic novel, there remains much to be mined from this story.
Mark Adamo is a skilled lyricist and composer, and he creates a sweeping, waltz-like movement that keeps audiences riveted to the story's events. Bowing to his predecessor, the great composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, many of Adamo's tunes evoke memories of A Little Night Music. Conductor Richard Carsey works his typical magic in bringing out the best of the score. It is quite a coup for Milwaukee that the show's composer, Adamo, was snagged as the director. The one quibble about Adamo's staging is his addition of marionettes -- one representing each sister. While it is an interesting device, it neither adds nor detracts from the main story. Far more powerful is the closing scene, set in the March family attic. By this time, Jo has learned her lesson. She sings to an armful of her childhood dolls (again, one for each sister) before significantly placing them in one of the attic's trunks.
As usual in Skylight Opera Theatre productions, the voices are all top-notch. The acting, too, is impressive. As Jo March, the opera's focal point, Katherine Pracht delivers a superior performance. She is not quite feisty enough for the audience to fall in love with her, but she has her moments. The other sisters are played by: Keri Alkema as the independent Meg, Dawn Riesing as the frail Beth, and Ashleigh Rabbitt as the conniving Amy. Supporting players in the large cast are equally fine. Events take place within a stylish set consisting of geometric patterns cast in Victorian colors, which reminded this reviewer of Tiffany lampshades. The set's revolve is used inventively during the numerous scene changes.
