The World Journal
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by Tracy Wahl
TRINIDAD — From the opening scene of Little Women, the Musical, it is clear that Kate Mattern, who plays Jo March, is the maestra of the show.
The show debuted in Trinidad last Friday at Main Street LIVE and Mattern wowed this reviewer with her stunning singing and electrifying presence.
The show is based on a series of novels by Louisa May Alcott, first published in 1868. The books tell the story of the March Family as they cope with life without their patriarch as he is away at war.
The lead character Jo March is a writer, writing blood and guts stories along with the story of her own family. Kate Mattern brings her to life with passion and conviction, Mattern’s formal training as an opera singer on full display in the sixteen songs in which Jo sings.
The audience gets to follow along Jo’s various forays into fiction with several very funny plays within the play that left the audience laughing and smiling.
The rest of the March Family include Becky McNeil as the matriarch, Nessa Meadows as Aunt March, and the daughters played by Laura Robertson Crummer as Amy, Lana Dziekonski as Meg and Cora Gardiner as Beth. Their voices were beautiful together and they were so perfectly cast in those roles, it was hard to believe they were not really family.
David Lamb showed his talent for playing the bad guy as the grumpy neighbor Mr. Laurence but had a remarkable transformation to nice guy thanks to the sweetness of Beth March, played by Cora Gardiner. Cora’s portrayal of Beth also broke everyone’s heart as her character arc completed.
McCabe Hense electrified the stage every time he appeared. He played the role of Laurie, entangled in romantic feelings with two of the March girls – at different moments. Hense has that hard to define charisma that makes the audience lean in when he shows up on stage.
Amy March goes through a particularly dramatic transformation from pig tailed young teenager to fur cloaked cosmopolitan lady in part thanks to the stylings of costume designer Marilyn Trevor.
Jeb Crummer as Professor Bhaer and Roger Lara as John Brooke rounded out the very impressive cast which performed 19 songs over the course of the performance.
There is one interesting footnote – both Kate Mattern (who played Jo) and Lana Dziekonski (Meg) work in the Public Defender’s office in Trinidad.
Mattern told me that even though she had studied music as an undergraduate at University of Nebraska and performed with the opera in Omaha, she decided to get her law degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder and then went on to head up the Public Defenders office in Trinidad.
There are still six more shows to go and if you’re within driving distance of Trinidad’s Main Street LIVE, you should definitely put it on your calendar, April 26, 27 or 28, May 2, 3 or May 4. Friday, Saturday shows are at 7 pm, Sunday matinee at 2 pm.
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