SANDY — The Sandy Arts Guild performs the shows in their season at Mount Jordan Junior High School. The organization is a hallmark for cities across the state of collaboration on the arts and the brilliant use of public venues as centers of arts and culture. Walking into the beautiful space, an excellent unit set designed by Dwight Western welcomes audiences into the home of the March Family. The set featured beautifully crafted stairs to an attic room, and an expertly dressed set, by Cassie Smith and Megan Sternod that showed audiences the clear view of a family in the civil war era in which Little Women takes place. The musical is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless story of womanhood. With a book by Allan Knee and music & lyrics from Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein, the story comes to life for modern audiences through profound storytelling and relatable characters.
The production from Sandy Arts guild was a lovely success anchored by a cast of truly exceptional singers and actors. Every time, I thought I had heard the best solo, I was once again surprised to find another exceptional singer in this excellent cast of ten. I can imagine music director Alison Dodge was thrilled to be able to work with the cast, and her music direction elevated a sweet but simple score to astonishing levels.
The strength of the cast begins with with Bailee Johnson who plays the central protagonist Jo. Johnson plays Jo with the right dual pulls through each situation. When she rejects Laurie, she is both conflicted and relieved. Her sequence sending her mother away is full of vulnerability and strength. Throughout the production, Johnson is hilariously coy and purposefully stern as her character seeks to find her place in the world. She does so while also belting out beautiful ballads with crystal clear timbre and resonance.
Sandy Arts Guild’s LITTLE WOMEN plays through October 19 | Photo: Kim Fillmore
Each of the March women had strong moments. Marilyn Oveson had a powerful presence as Aunt March and commanded the scenes she was in.Amanda Rodgers was a profoundly strong Meg whose smitten nature felt sincere and sweet. Emma Roberts was a sympathetic Beth whose calm in the show’s tense moments was lovely. Anne Jensen was viscous as Amy in the beginning but showed softness and growth through her character’s arc. However, like director Lisa Noyes expressed in her director’s note, I found myself drawn to Marnee’s character and the associated actor’s performance in this show. While the sequence at Cape Cod between Beth and Jo is sad, it was Marmee’s resolute force of will in the song “Days of Plenty” was where real tears appeared. It is so often the resistance to being disconsolate that is the most powerful in performance, and so it was for Tamari Dunbar as Marmee. Dunbar illuminated light and joy to her daughters, and was strong in the face of adversity without being overtaken by it. It was a strong harmony between director’s vision, actor’s portrayal and the demands of the story and text.
The men in this show were also phenomenal, beginning with Nate Holcomb as Meg’s love interest, Mr. John Brooke. Holcomb’s voice resonated beautifully in the auditorium, but it was his humor and tapping into the character’s awkwardness and uncertainties that made him so beloved and believable. Derrik Legler played professor Bhaer with strong vocal clarity in his accent, and stronger emotional clarity in his performance. He was truly timid in his pursuit of Jo until the very end, and it became a powerful moment in the play to see them express their love for one another. David Hanson was an exceptional Mr. Laurence whose softening through the play’s adversities was so clear. He barreled onto the stage as a mean and cold man, but showed tenderness in the moments that called for it. So too with Rhett Butler’s Laurie – a character that ebbs and flows confidence until the very end when he chooses a path of love and self respect. Butler played the youthful Laurie with all the insecurities of youth and the matured Laurie as a man who had found himself.
Photo: Kim Fillmore
I don’t always address every actor in the play, but every single one was successful. Their arcs were clear, their goals were authentic and their voices were stunning. It was a performance that made my 8 year old son connect deeply with the characters and story, and was similarly profound to audience members who knew the story beats and could sing along with the showtunes. This was a great ensemble that was well directed and knew why each person mattered in each scene.
Jon Kroff ran a great sound design that was well mixed and supported the excellent singing. I found myself wondering if there was a live orchestra backstage, and that is exceptionally uncommon in community theatre. Karen Chatterton designed beautiful costumes that told the story in each scene as seasons changed and characters matured. They were beautifully tailored to the actors and were a crucial production element in this show.
This show was a success from the start and “brave to the very end”. It was clear that this team was on a mission to tell a good story, and they did exactly that.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
