Hills Musical Company’s rendition of this timeless masterpiece of literature translated to a musical from a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein is the first production for the company in 2025. The co-directors, Vanessa Redmond and Tammy Shields have gathered a cast that could perform at any major concert hall. The story of the lives of four March sisters while their father is away at war is well known and is portrayed in this production with all emotions from humour to adversity.
Grace Carter has the lead role of Jo March who is trying to have a book published as well as considering herself ‘the man of the family’ her acting ability is supported by her three solos one of which ‘The Fire Within Me’ is a show stopper. She is on stage for a good deal of the time and is flawless when portraying her character with pathos in all its forms.
The character of Meg March is portrayed by Jasmine Howls who also plays the part of Clarissa in one of the vignettes introduced as part of a story line in a book. This give her the opportunity to add her comedic side to her unquestionable vocal talent.
The other two March sisters Beth played by Iris Nissen and Amy by Immi Beattie were ideally cast giving the audience the chance to hear and see their faultless performances. One feature was the change from Beth to Rodrigo II in one of the vignettes.
The mother of the girls, Marmee March, was portrayed with motherly love by Lucy Trewin. Her polished talent showed her stage experience and her solo ‘Here Alone’ sent goose bumps through the audience.
The straitlaced Aunt March played by Susie O’Connell rounded out the female roles. She was the overbearing dominant head of family but also able to show a softer side. Her duet with Jo ‘Could You’ gave her the opportunity to show her wares.
This show is about women but there are also four male characters that made this show a success. Jared Frost played Professor Bhaer the confidant of Jo who is also secretly in love with her. Maximillian Maher played Laurie Laurence the dashing love interest rejected by Jo but finds love with sister Amy. Henry Davis played John Brooke who is smitten by Meg. Gus Smith as the formidable Mr Laurence. All of these characters were realistic and their voices gave weight to the music.
The musical director Dylan Rufus led the twelve piece orchestra through the twenty five pieces to perfection allowing the singers to be heard. The choreography by Ashleigh Rathjen was simple but most apt for this show as was the set which had some quick changes but did not interfere with the performers. The costume team led by Tammy Shields were true to the time and those during the vignettes were remarkable. All the large production team did their job and made this play one to remember.
There were parts of Little Women that equalled the standard of any professional musical.
