YLHS Theatre put on its fall musical, Little Women, in the Forum starting Friday, September 21st. They performed the Broadway musical version which is based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott.

The play follows the life of four sisters: spirited Jo, compliant Amy, traditional Meg, and shy Beth. Their loving mother Marmee takes care of all of them while her husband is at war. Jo spends the majority of the play trying to get her story, filled with “blood and guts stuff,” published by anyone who will listen. Since it is set in the late 1800s, her attempts are turned away and often accompanied with a note saying she should focus on getting married and having kids. Throughout the play, Jo struggles to fight the standards expected from women at the time; few people around her, other than Marmee and Beth, seem to truly understand Jo’s desire to be successful on her own. Early in the play, Jo meets Laurie, who seems to be the only boy who understands her. Through all the drama and struggles, this story conveys the heartwarming message that support and perseverance can make even the most far-fetched dreams become a reality.

YLHS’s production featured the following students: Elyse Bell (11) as Jo, Julia Massey (11) as Amy, Claire Marshall (11) as Meg, Rebecca Tront (10) as Beth, Kaitlyn Kraack (12) as Marmee, Riley Pietenpol (11) as Professor Bhaer, Cooper Summers (12) as Mr. Lawrence, Caleb Huston(12) as Laurie, Maddy Young (11) as Aunt March/Mrs. Kirk, and Will Fixa (11) as Mr. Brooke. All of these actors were able to showcase their unbelievable acting skills and voices throughout the musical. Since each character had such a unique personality, it was critical that each actor was able to portray their character correctly. These students’ performances did not disappoint. Everything from Beth’s shy and friendly demeanor, to Jo’s bold and bright personality was brought to reality through acting and singing.

Since Little Women is a musical, the majority of the story was told through musical numbers. Songs ranging from the sorrowful solo “Here Alone” to the upbeat ensemble “Five Forever” featured all of the actors’ breathtaking voices. Mabel Ra (12) went to see Little Women and commented, “Overall, it was the best play I’ve seen at YLHS.”  One of her favorite aspects was the music since “the singers had great control of their voices, especially Elyse Bell. The songs were really catchy. My favorite was ‘Some Things Are Meant to Be,’ which was really touching.“

Theatre will continue to perform Little Women, with a show on Thursday, September 27th at 7 pm and Saturday, September 29th at 4:30 pm and 7 pm. Tickets will be $15 at the door. Make sure to go see YLHS Theatre’s outstanding musical Little Women, look out for ComedySportz matches, and be sure to check out Theatre’s next play, The Elephant Man, in November.