Longwood’s theatre production of “Little Women” was exceptional, with a perfect balance between the acting aspect and the musical aspect. All of the actors in this production did a fabulous job in telling the story. Not only did the acting blow me away, but the production design was really well done and the production crew did a good job of helping clarify where the scene was taking place. The production of “Little Women” was a success in all aspects and set the standards high for future productions at Longwood.
While everyone in the cast put on a wonderful performance, I have to specifically give praise to Raine Bence (Jo March) and Addie Snyder (Beth March). Their vocal talent was exceptional: Bence has a huge range and Snyder’s voice is one of the prettiest I have ever heard in a school production. These two powerhouses had a duet together, Some Things Are Meant to Be, in Act 2, and I definitely shed some tears during that song. It truly was a beautiful performance. When it comes to the acting portion, I was specifically impressed with Jayden Crouch, who played a few roles, like Mr. Laurence and Professor Bhaer. He brought a perfect balance of humor, emotion, and expression to the stage.
Emma Shepperson and Yasmin Lopez appeared as the other two March sisters, Amy and Meg. These two played their roles perfectly with Emma properly portraying Amy as the whiny, but intelligent younger sister and Yasmin perfectly representing Meg as the responsible and nurturing older sister. Shawn Winder played a wonderful Laurie, showing off his charming and lively spirit, with a side of humor and mischief. Everyone in this cast played their characters excellently, with Alyssa Malcolm as Aunt March, Jesse Blankenship as John Brooke, and Abby Kesling as Marmee March. I enjoyed that this play gave the actors the opportunity to show off their vocal talent and their performance skills.
The orchestra and production crew also deserve to be applauded. The music was beautiful and the show would not have been the same without the orchestra present. The costumes were stunning and the lighting, sound, and choreography were also well done. You can tell that a lot of hard work was put into this production. The only criticism I could think of for this play would be some line deliveries at specific points, only because some lines were delivered with little to no emotion.
Overall, the Longwood production of “Little Women” was amazing and I was really impressed with everyone’s performances. I applaud all of the actors and the crew for their hard work, because their efforts were really evident — and I would highly recommend coming out to their next production!
4.5/5 Stars
