Legitimate Theater: "Little Women The Musical" (2005)

Welcome to Legitimate Theater: a column dedicated to movie-based stage musicals. The goal of this series is to explore those stories that originated in films and eventually worked their way onto Broadway and beyond. By the end of each entry, there will hopefully be a better understanding of this odd but rampant trend in modern entertainment. Are these stories really worth telling through song and dance? How can it even compare to the technical prowess of a camera and seamless editing? Join me on this quest as I explore the highs and lows of this trend on the third Wednesday of every month and hopefully answer what makes this Legitimate Theater.

Opening

It is true that Legitimate Theater is dedicated to exploring the musicals that are based on films. That is why it came as such a tough decision to do one based on a book. With the latest adaptation of "Little Women" hitting the big screen on Christmas Day, it felt like a cheat to not give the beloved source material a shot. The rules still stand otherwise, and with such an excellent cast that includes Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern, there's a good chance that it will be just as delightful of an interpretation as any film version. Given that it's one of the best stories written about female friendship and growing up, it may work in translating to the stage with a familiar amount of energy. But the question that one has to ask every time is if this was necessary? Would it make Alcott proud? As in keeping with the book, it's time to look to the stage for answers, and yes there will be a conversation on it later. 

A Quick Background

Tony Nominations: 1 (including Best Actress in a Musical) in 2005

Based on: "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (1869)

Music: Jason Howland

Lyrics: Mindi Dickstein

Book: Allan Knee

Prominent Actors:  Sutton Foster, Maureen McGovern, Janet Carroll, Danny Gurwin, John Hickok

Soundtrack

1. "Overture"
2. "An Operatic Tragedy"
3. "Better"
4. "Our Finest Dreams"
5. "Here Alone" 
6. "Could You"
7. "I'd Be Delighted"
8. "Take a Chance on Me"
9. "Off to Massachusettes"
10. "Five Forever"
11. "More Than I Am"
12. "Astonishing"
13. "The Weekly Volcano Press"
14. "How I Am"
15. "Some Things Are Meant To Be"
16. "The Most Amazing Thing"
17. "Days of Plenty"
18. "The Fire Within Me"
19. "Small Umbrella In The Rain"
20. "Sometimes You Dream (Reprise)"

Note: Listen to the music here

Song Exploration

Opening Song:
"An Operatic Tragedy"

The book begins rather similarly with the four March girls gathering for a production of a show that they have created. It would only be right that the medium that embraces similar tactics would use it as a jumping off point for the show. In the number, it not only gets the listener encapsulated in how it will play with the musical format, but also the themes that will be explored throughout the show. Along with the following song, "Better," the show gets off to a fairly strong and whimsical attitude about introducing this world thoroughly. It's a story about women embracing their independence, and it shows rather strongly in the show within a show that opens this whole thing.

Carryovers

There aren't really any songs carried over from the original for obvious reasons. It's a book that was more alluding to various forms of art. If there's anything that's carried over in a literal fashion, it's the use of theater to express oneself. The opening song, for instance, alludes to the way that the March girls express themselves through performance. Later on in the show is "The Weekly Volcano Press," which takes a look at Jo March trying to publish her novel, including an extended passage from said book. Even if there's no conventional sense of carryover (save for general plot), there are moments that feel like they were made for a musical like this.

High Point:

"The Weekly Volcano Press"

This is the song that has the most energy and creativity and perfectly expresses what the show is going for. In a moment where Jo is trying to be published, she is being judged by the outside world and finding herself needing to edit her novel to please the market. Even as she pitches it, nothing abides. Still, the listener is given a look into what is in said book, and it's a fun adventure story full of strong, independent women. Even then, there's a need to edit to fit the desires of the publisher, and it all comes through in ways that Alcott did very well in the book. It's as joyful to hear the story as it is sad to hear a vision being compromised. The subtext in how the moment plays out works on many levels and shows the strengths of the music and lyrics. 

Low Point:

"Off to Massachusettes"

If giving a joke answer, it would have to be "Small Umbrella in the Rain," since Jo having to get married was more mandated than anything else. However, it works within the show and fits in a strange, subversive way. There aren't any bad songs necessarily on this, though the one that stands out as being different is this jaunty melody about going on an adventure somewhere. It's kooky and full of memorable little dips in the melody. There's a lot to enjoy, though it's far from the nuanced, emotional quality of every other song on this soundtrack. 

What Does It Bring to the Story?

While it's far from the first adaptation of this to a different medium, it is the first to bring the book to stage. As a direct adaptation, it plays most faithful to what Alcott was going for, and that is the theme of sisterhood that works through the entire novel. Certain aspects have been emphasized, such as the love story and main events in the March girls' lives, but otherwise, it is the same exact story with more song and dance. Even then, it helps to create more of a visual representation of this than the book did, letting the listener take in the performance in a more accessible manner. If you're in the room watching it, it's already more tangible than the book. 

Was This Necessary?

Yes

On one hand, it's the simplest story in the classic literary canon. Nothing major happens and that usually doesn't translate well to... anything. However, Alcott wrote with a rebellious undertone that makes this story feel essential no matter how it's told. By making a story that embraces the arts in a way that was fundamental to the book, it can only enhance the experience and make audiences understand what the March girls loved about it. If anything, it creates a deeper understanding of what it means to be a strong independent woman, and how those themes never really escaped the social structure even two centuries later. It's an entertaining and accessible story, and it works very well through song here.