Amy Jo Burns Popular Books

Amy Jo Burns Biography & Facts

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 1868–69 semi-autobiographical two-volume novel, it focuses on the four March sisters— traditional Meg, wild, aspiring writer Jo, timid Beth and romantic Amy,— and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts, while their father 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. Productions 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. Laurence/ The Knight, Jim Weitzer as Mr. Brooke/ Braxton, and John Hickok as Professor Bhaer. A 30-city US tour, with McGovern as Marmee, Kate Fisher as Jo, Renee Brna as Meg, Autumn Hurlbert as Beth, and Gwen Hollander as Amy ran from August 2005 (San Diego, California) through July 2006 (Kennedy Center, Washington, DC). Kookaburra produced the Australian premiere production, which ran at the Seymour Centre, Sydney, from November 2008 through December 2008. Opera Australia's Stuart Maunder directed, with musical direction by Peter Rutherford. The cast included Kate-Maree Hoolihan as Jo, Trisha Noble as Marmee, Judi Connelli as Aunt March, Erica Lovell as Amy, Octavia Barron-Martin as Meg, Jodie Harris as Beth, Hayden Tee as Professor Bhaer, Stephen Mahy as Laurie, David Harris as John, and Philip Hinton as Mr. Lawrence. The show was first seen in Europe in an Austrian production billed as European premiere by Theater im Neukloster, Wiener Neustadt, in 2007 using the German title "Beth und ihre Schwestern" ("Beth and her sisters"). The German premiere using the same translation (but "Betty" in the title) was mounted in 2010 by Waldbühne Kloster Oesede in Georgsmarienhütte. It was brought to the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester in 2017 led by Amie Giselle-Ward in the role of Jo March. Bronagh Lagan directed with musical direction from Rickey Long in a production also billed as the European premiere. In July 2018, the show made its East Anglian debut (Great Britain) at Sheringham Little Theatre in North Norfolk. The musical made its London premiere at the Park Theatre from November through December 2021. A Dutch production ran during the 2023 Christmas holidays in the DeLaMar West theater in Amsterdam (a dependance of the main DeLaMar theater). It featured Michelle van de Ven as Jo, Lisanne Veeneman as Beth, Natalie Salek as Meg, Sem Gerritsma as Amy, Céline Purcell as Marmee and Wim van den Driessche as Mr Laurence. In September 2023, a production premiered in Buenos Aires. It was on Paseo La Plaza and starred with Macarena Giraldez as Jo. It was the first (official) production of this musical in the Spanish language. Plot Act I In 1865, Josephine March (Jo) receives a notice of rejection from another publisher, making it her twenty-second rejection. Jo asks Professor Bhaer, another boarder at Mrs. Kirk's Boarding House, his opinion on her story ("An Operatic Tragedy"). The professor is not entranced by her blood and guts saga. He tells her that he thinks that she can write something better. Jo, taken aback and angry at Bhaer's reaction, asks him what he knows to criticize her and insults him by calling him old. He reacts by saying that he has stated his opinion as she has hers. He leaves. Jo, left alone, wonders what could be "better" than the story she has written. But then she muses that perhaps her writing was better when she was at home in Concord, Massachusetts ("Better"). Two years earlier at her attic-studio, Jo assembles her sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, to tell them that she will be putting up for a show of her own called the "Operatic Tragedy". The sisters beg Jo to not put it up for a show but Jo convinces them that this play will be a hit and will make for the best Christmas there ever was. ("Our Finest Dreams"). Marmee, their mother, comes in with a letter from Mr. March who is away as a Union Army chaplain in the American Civil War. As she writes a response, she reflects on how hard it is to be the pillar of strength in the March home ("Here Alone"). Aunt March, the wealthy aunt of the March sisters, asks Jo to change from being a tomboy to a model lady of society. She tells Jo of an idle thought to bring her along to Europe. Jo begs to go with her, but Aunt March reasons that she will take her only if she changes. Jo, who has always dreamed of seeing Europe, agrees ("Could You?"). Meanwhile, Meg has one of her own dreams realized: she and Jo are invited to Annie Moffat's Valentine's Day Ball. But on the day of the ball, while the two sisters are rushing around for their finishing touches, Meg announces that she cannot go. She asks Marmee what to say when one of her potential suitors asks her to dance. Marmee tells Meg to just smile and say "I'd be delighted" ("Delighted"). Amy, who cares about society and fine things more than Jo, rushes down in Jo's old ball gown to join them in going to the ball, but Jo stops her, as she is not invited. Spiteful of her sister, Amy burns Jo's manuscript in the fireplace and then happily goes off to bed. At the ball, Jo accidentally sits on Laurie, who is a neighbor of the Marches' along with his grumpy grandfather, Mr. Laurence. Laurie's tutor, Mr. John Brooke, then comes in and scolds Laurie for not meeting important people, which would make Mr. Laurence furious. Mr. Brooke accidentally takes Meg's dance card, but when he returns it, he finally looks at Meg to see how beautiful she is. Mr. Brooke asks Meg to dance and Meg agrees. Meg and Mr. Brooke are smitten at first sight. Laurie confesses to Jo his need for friends and asks Jo to dance with him. Jo replies that she doesn't dance but Laurie keeps on trying to make an impression ("Take A Chance On Me"). Back at the March's after the ball, Jo and Amy have a confrontation after Jo discovers what Amy has done to her story. Marmee sends Amy off to her bed and apologizes to Jo, but tells her that Amy is just a child and wants to be like her. Jo then rushes up to her attic to rewrite her story ("Better (Repr.... Discover the Amy Jo Burns popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Amy Jo Burns books.