In bringing Little Women – the Broadway Musical to the Egyptian stage next weekend, Annex Theatre Company is seeking to do more than present another musical. Its goal is to bring to life one of the most widely read and best loved novels of all time.

 

“This is the full Broadway version, with all the songs and dance numbers in that production,” says director Lydia Daffenberg. “The book has been read by generations of young people, and this is the chance to see it in full splendor.”

 

Indeed, Little Women is considered the highest literary achievement of American novelist Louisa May Alcott, who was born in 1832. Alcott received the majority of her schooling from her father, but also took lessons from such prominent intellectuals as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Little Women is based loosely on the events of her life.

 

As an early abolitionist and suffragette, Alcott is one of a group of female authors during the Gilded Age to address women’s issues in a modern and candid manner. Her works were, as one newspaper columnist of the period commented, “among the decided 'signs of the times'”.

 

“It’s an honor for me to play someone like Jo,” says Christie Coran, who plays the role of Jo March in the Thursday and Sunday performances. “She’s such an imaginative, strong woman and an inspiration to me.” Chloe Bluml, also an accomplished stage performer, plays Jo in the Friday and Saturday performances.

 

The Annex production features elaborate sets, period costumes, and the talents of community actors in high school and older. The group recently staged My Fair Lady also at the Egyptian in January.

“This is a very entertaining production,” Daffenberg adds. “The music is beautiful and stirring, and the girls all sound absolutely lovely. Also there’s something for all ages, including sword fighting, trolls, hags, and knights.”

 

Tickets for Little Women are $5 for students and children, and $10 for adults. Tickets are for general seating and are available at the door one hour prior to curtain.

 

Performance times are 7pm on Thursday and Friday, 1pm on Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday, April 2-5.

 

Annex Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre group that focuses on producing musicals and plays in the community. The group will be presenting Our Town in May at NIU’s Corner Theatre, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in October, and Fiddler on the Roof next January at the Egyptian.

 

For more information, including audition dates, visit www.annextheatrecompany.org.