The Woodington Players staged a production of “Little Women” at the Campbell Theater at Westwood Regional High School. They offered the audience a heartfelt portrayal of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel. The play, which ran over the nights of November 21-23, featured two alternating casts: the pink cast and the green cast.
Originally a novel for children by Louisa May Alcott, the story is about four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, raised in poverty by their mother, Marmee. They live in a quiet Massachusetts town during the time of the Revolutionary War. Meg, the oldest, is known as a romantic, Jo the spirited and tomboyish second eldest, Beth is sweet and loving the third eldest, and the youngest Amy is very playful. The play is filled with adventure, heartbreak, and a deep sense of hope. Viewers follow the struggles of these “Little Women” as they find themselves during this hard time in young America.
The pink cast featured Jordan Windle as Jo, Francesca Castaldo as Meg, Samantha Arturo as Amy, Claire Lee as Beth, Donald Trammell as Laurie, Aidan Gugliemotti as John Brooke, Markus Oriolo as Mr. March, Phoenix Ballard as Professor Bhaer, and Jessica Kenyon as Aunt March.
The green cast featured Jordan Miceli as Jo, Rilynn Kenny as Meg, Riley Falk as Amy, Ava Tirri as Beth, Morgan Turner as Laurie, Connor Molyneaux as John Brooke, William Harrahy as Mr. March, Daniel Shotkin as Professor Bhaer and Kit Kalin as Aunt March. Beatrice Mitchell played Marmee, Anthony Murad played the Messenger and Mia Cruz-Marshman played Aunt March’s parrot in both casts.
How smoothly the productions went was all backed by the amazing work of the backstage crew. A crew member, who has been a part of the team for three years and has worked on five plays, described that her role was both exciting and demanding: “Part of being backstage is kind of being able to do a little bit of everything. I have to be able to know how everything works and costumes stuff if something goes wrong,”
She talked about how important the preparation was and how her job before tech week was to create cue sheets to organize crew member’s roles, stage positions, and cues for each scene change. “So, no, not really chaotic unless something goes wrong and then it’s up to people on the mics to communicate,” she said.
“The atmosphere is really positive. Joining the club introduced me to so many people that I probably wouldn’t have talked to otherwise. Doing the shows really brings everyone together in a way that’s hard to describe. Tech week meals and like the entire experience is just really fun because you spend so much time with all your friends that you’ve made.”
In the end, the Woodington Players’ “Little Women” highlighted the amazing spirits and work of both the cast and crew who worked countless hours to practice and create this great experience. The strong performances of the cast, well-organized backstage coordination, and the friendships and fun experiences that come along with the show all contributed to a successful show.