A musical re-telling of an American classic is the spring theater offering from Fresno Pacific University.
Little Women will be performed Friday, April 8, through Sunday, April 10, at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 2425 Fresno St., Fresno. Showtimes will be 7:30 p.m. Friday & Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. Tickets are $15 for general audiences and for $10 seniors/students and are available online at eventbrite.com/e/little-women-the-musical-tickets-20769811064, by telephone at 559-453-2056 and at the door. (Group rates are available.)
Based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, Little Women is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland. The story revolves around the four March sisters—brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo; romantic Meg, pretentious Amy and kind-hearted Beth—and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, MA, while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Intercut with vignettes in which their lives unfold are recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio. First performed in 2005.
The student cast, and their home communities, are: Meg Clark (Reedley) as Jo March, Garrison Bennett (Reedley) as Professor Bhaer, Annelise Escobedo (Clovis) as Amy March, Gracie Watkins (Clovis) as Meg March, Emily Mooney (Denair) as Beth March, Laynee Roth (Clovis) as Marmee March, Tim Fletcher (Fresno) as Mr. Laurence, EJ Hinojosa (Kingsburg) as Laurie, Jake Mizner (Tulare) as Mr. John Brooke and Allison Calhoun (Lemoore) as Mrs. Kirk.
Also in the company are Audriana Moody (Hanford) and Bryn Riley. Bethany Rader (Hesperia) is the director and Steven Herevia (Santa Maria) is assistant director, both are FPU staff members. Music faculty members Milt Friesen, Deborah Sauer-Ferrand and Erik Leung are musical director, vocal coach and instrumental director, respectively. Julia Reimer, Ph.D., directs the university theater program.