Little Women (musical)

Little Women
Original Broadway Logo
Music	Jason Howland
Lyrics	Mindi Dickstein
Book	Allan Knee
Basis	Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women
Productions	2001 and 2004 Workshop Duke University 2005 Broadway 2005 US Tour 2008 Sydney

Little Women is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland.

Based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, it focuses on the four March sisters — brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth — and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Intercut with the vignettes in which their lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.

A workshop production was presented at Duke University in February 2001, directed by Nick Corley. This production followed a workshop reading in March-April 2000. The production next played another workshop at Duke University in October 2004. This version was directed by Susan H. Schulman.

After 55 previews, the Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre on January 23, 2005 and closed on May 22, 2005 after 137 performances. It was directed by Susan H. Schulman, with choreography by Michael Lichtefeld, set design by Derek McLane, costume design by Catherine Zuber, and lighting design by Kenneth Posner.

The Broadway cast featured Sutton Foster as Jo, Maureen McGovern as Marmee/The Hag, Janet Carroll as Aunt March/Mrs. Kirk, Jenny Powers as Meg/Clarissa, Megan McGinnis as Beth/Rodrigo II, Amy McAlexander as Amy/The Troll, Danny Gurwin as Laurie/Rodrigo, Robert Stattel as Mr. Lawrence/ The Knight, Jim Weitzer as Mr. Brooke/ Braxton, and John Hickok as Professor Bhaer.