(PHOTOS BY GOLDEN BEAR PHOTOGRAPHY)
By: Rebecca Miller
Musical Director Ben Lupo and Assistant Director Betsy Zuver were proud to present the Two Act Musical, Little Women, at Bryan High School last weekend.
Lupo has degrees in Vocal Music Education and Zuver in Theater Arts, making for a great collaboration.
This is Lupo’s sixth or seventh production in Bryan and eleventh since he started teaching. Zuver has done the Fall Plays for a number of years and this is her first musical in which to be on the Directing Team.
Orchestral Director Brandon Gordon, who will be in the Pit, is directing an orchestra made up of a combination of students, community members and faculty.
Seventeen cast members are joined by the Orchestra and the Production Crew to total sixty five. Lupo said that the cast, crew and orchestra have all worked exceptionally hard since the beginning of January to get this production ready.
This musical, based on the two volume semi-autobiographical books by Louisa May Alcott premiered on Broadway in 2005.
It takes place in Civil War Massachusetts, following the story of Jo March as she and her sisters and family come of age in that time period.
In the Bryan production the main family includes Marmee who is played by Katie Davis, Jo by Ariana Penny, Beth by Sarah Knight, Meg by Elaina Knight, and Amy by Tabithah Taylor.
Other main characters are Theodore or Laurie played by Nolan Kuhn, Mr. Lawrence by Gideon Mejia, Aunt March by Jillian Drinnon, Mr. Brooke (and Braxton) by Ethan Psurny and Professor Bhaer by Ryan Spiess.
The cast is rounded out by some other great parts, including Mrs. Kirk by Emma Rettig, Clarissa by Cordelia Stubblefield, Rodrigo One by Are Alyanakian and Rodrigo Two by Alyssia Foust, Knight by Elijah Schlade, Hag by Katie Seaman, and Troll by Addison Oberlin.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
