Dear Germantown Community Theater Co.,

I had the pleasure of seeing your recent production of Little Women, The Broadway

Musical the other night. And when I say I had the pleasure, I actually do mean that for a change. This was one of the better shows I have seen produced by your company.

I am probably one of the few people who had no idea what the story was about, other than knowing it was a book with several movie versions in existence. So, for someone like me, this production was a nice introduction to the story.

Under the direction of Daniel Stuart Nelson, the trials and tribulations of the March family were presented in a way that was both entertaining and enjoyable. For the most part, he was able to direct the actors to bring life to their characters in a way that made them likable and believable. Unlike other productions from your company, where the actors appeared to just be reciting their lines center stage, this time they actually seemed to become the people they were portraying.

For the most part, that is.

I do have a question, however, about the direction of Mr. Laurence, played by Marcus Cox, and Aunt March, played by Sally Stover.

What was up with the over-the-top portrayal of their characters?

These were the only two characters I had difficulty believing because they came across more as caricatures than actual people. Mr. Laurence is supposed to be a mean, gruff individual, but Marcus Cox's portrayal reminded me more of Scrooge McDuck. With his chest thrust out every time he appeared onstage, he seemed to be playing the idea of a grumpy old man rather than an actual person. Was this the choice of the actor or the director?

The only time he seemed real was when he was interacting with Beth March, played by Caroline Segars. In those moments, he finally showed some heart, and the character became believable.

As for Aunt March, well, she came across more as Angela Lansbury than a grumpy old aunt. This isn't to say Sally Stover did a bad job. She didn't. But whether it was her interpretation or a directing choice, the exaggerated portrayal took away from the character's believability.

Which, of course, leads me to ask: Why direct her that way?

Then there was Professor Bhaer, played by Donovan Smith, who delivered most of his lines to the audience instead of the characters he was onstage with.

I found myself asking, why is he talking to us and not Jo?

With that being said, Donovan did a fabulous job of maintaining his accent throughout the play, which is no easy task, especially when having to sing as well.

Speaking of singing, I must say I was impressed by the vocal talent on that stage. Community theater can sometimes be a mixed bag when it comes to musical productions, but overall, there wasn't one weak singer in the cast.

Well, there is one small side note to that statement as well.

A few actors seemed to be singing in a range that didn't quite suit their voices, making some of their lyrics difficult to understand. Which brings up the whole situation of doing a musical in a small theater when the actors don't have microphones.

My fear going into the show was that the music and singing would be overwhelming in such a small space. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. The music frequently overpowered the singers, making it difficult to understand what they were singing.

And I was sitting in the front row!

Microphones definitely would have helped in this situation, or perhaps adjusting the volume of the accompaniment so the actors could actually be heard. I do understand, however, that this may have been difficult to accomplish given the confines of the space and budgetary limitations.

As I stated earlier, the actors themselves were a delight to watch. They were engaging and, for the most part, made me believe in the characters they portrayed. I didn't find myself wondering when the show was going to end because I was bored with one-dimensional characters. Quite the opposite.

Haley Wilson, who played Jo March, did a fantastic job of bringing the many facets of Jo to life. And with a character like Jo, who seems to believe she's the only one capable of saving her family, that's no easy task.

We've seen this type of character in hundreds of movies. You know the one. The whole burden of the world rests on their shoulders, and they're the only person capable of solving everyone's problems.

That kind of character can become annoying very quickly.

Fortunately, Haley found the right balance. She presented Jo's determination and stubbornness without making her irritating, which allowed me to actually care about what happened to her.

And considering I knew very little about the story when I walked into the theater, that's saying something.

Other than a few technical glitches and some questionable character choices, Little Women was a delightful and entertaining way to spend an evening. The cast brought warmth, humor, and heart to a story I knew very little about when I walked through your doors.

So, congratulations on a production that, for the most part, got it right.

See, I can say nice things!

Sincerely,

Mz. Taylor