Samantha Hymson
Staff Writer
After watching FSC’s musical production of “Little Women,” the general consensus was that it was very impressive, but it had a few minor details and kinks that needed to be worked out.
The singing by the main characters was very good overall. The singing of both Jo March (Kim Gaesser) and Amy March (Melissa Angelo) were good, however, the singing done by Meg March (Alyna Salgado), Marmee March (Chelsea Canestraro), and Beth March (Jewel Blakeslee) stole the hearts of the audience and even gave me goosebumps. As far as the male characters, Mr. John Brooke (Casey Moulton), Mr. Laurence (Mister Fitzgerald), and Professor Bhaer (Brendan Troost) all were equally spectacular in their singing talents.
As far as acting goes, Laurie (Jonathon Timpanelli) and Aunt March (Amber Hancock) stole the show. Both of their commitments to their characters, along with their unbeatable acting talents, made the perfect combination to draw the audience to believe see their characters as real people.
“Laure and Aunt March were played by really good actors,” Katherine Ledger, freshman, said. “The actress playing Aunt March also maintained her character part throughout every aspect of the performance.”
Some other good acting also included Meg March and Mr. John Brooke, whose kiss no one can say looked staged. The kisses between Jo March and Professor Bhaer were also very believable and even looked passionate. They both stayed in character after the crowd applauded and had another, what looked like, enjoyable kiss.
The ensemble, while being mostly excellent singers and actors too, did have a few issues during the performance. The only non theatre or music major/minor in the ensemble had some problems throughout the night that ultimately took away from the show. She was slightly off-key in most songs which was only distracting because she was singing over the rest of the ensemble.
Her acting was a bit over the top and it seemed forced as well. Her chit chat during key scenes also was disturbing to the audience members who were close enough to hear her whispers. She also made a noticeable trip while moving the set off the stage. It might have just been an off night for her, but the ensemble might have benefited from her absence in the show.
The special effects in the show had perfect timing and added to the great experience. When Jo March was telling her stories, she and the other actors were impressively in sync with each other. Credit should also be given to the set designers for making an easily accessible and well-designed set. The choreography for the dance numbers was also unique and well-executed.
As for a few areas of improvement, the sound team needed to work on getting everyone’s microphones working and having the volume at the right degree. The costumes also had some problems such as being too tight, a noticeable rip in the back of a dress, and a bra straps showing through clothes.
A suggestion for future performances would also be to make the staging further back, so as to avoid characters having their backs to any part of the audience for longer than 30 seconds. It would be more considerate if all members of the audience could see everything on happening on the stage in the future.
Overall, FSC’s production of Little Women was a great success in general.
