Hersey to stage classic 'Little Women'
John Hersey High School's Theater and Music Departments will present “Little Women, The Musical,” Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 3-5 in the school theater. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. each night, with an additional Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
Based on Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters — brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kindhearted Beth — and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Mass., while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War.
From its first publishing, Little Women has been adored by people of all ages. The first printing of 2,000 copies sold out quickly and more printings were soon ordered, but the company had trouble keeping up with demand. Since then, Little Women has never been out of print, been translated into 50 languages and has consistently ranked in the top 10 best-sellers of all time.
Because the story presents a poignant portrait that transcends time, distance, and ethnicity to evoke the real meaning of life — dreams transforming into reality, hope conquering adversity, love triumphing over tragedy, Little Women has been and will continue to be a story not just for one generation, age, or people, but a story that has a universal appeal to humanity.
Cast members include seniors Grace Petit (Jo), Amanda Grossmayer (Meg), Kelsey Martin (Beth), Meghan Griffin (Amy), Caitlin Featherstone-Priester (Marmee), Erin Saflarski, Tyler Zanona, Chris Lio, and Matt Leff, and juniors Mike Perlongo, Nicky Mendelsohn, and Madeleine Brown. Katie Busse is serving as assistant director.
In support of Hersey's book-drive fundraiser for Invisible Children, a nonprofit whose mission is to stop the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a terrorist organization waging war in Northern Uganda, the cast, crew and orchestra is requesting that audience members bring new or gently used books to donate at the door.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance by contacting Joann Langley at (847) 718-4882 or joann.langley@d214.org.
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