Staff writer attended Cast B show only.
Sitting in the darkened theater gazing upon the actors adorned in period costumes, their skirts and garments moving swiftly across the stage, the audience watched in wonder as Zachary High’s performance of Little Women by Kate Hamill played out before them. It seemed so effortless how the actors and actresses delivered their lines and how they moved gracefully to music or hit their cues perfectly. Then suddenly, as Magnolia Charlet (12), who played Jo March (Cast B), was performing the infamous proposal scene, her hoopskirt fell right on stage! Despite the unexpected wardrobe malfunction, Charlet demonstrated her utmost professionalism by quickly recovering and continuing the scene with poise, delivering the solemn emotions required flawlessly.
Charlet recalls the surprising hoopskirt mishap.
“Unfortunately, gravity was my hoopskirt’s sworn enemy that day. As professionally as we could, Sterling and I continued the scene as rehearsed, ignoring the elephant in the room or, in this case, the hoopskirt on the floor. Our theater teachers have prepared us for improvising through unavoidable issues like this, and we were able to continue through the scene,” Charlet (12) said.
The Show Must Go On!
On top of dramatic on-stage mishaps, a loathsome case of the flu swept through the whole school, which inevitably made its way to the theater department just days before the opening performance, causing the cast to miss some major rehearsals, so they could take a well-deserved rest to prioritize their health.
Although everyone thankfully recovered, it certainly disrupted preparations for the big day! To make up for the missed rehearsals, the actors and actresses worked tirelessly to prepare and perform phenomenally, showing their pride in what they did. Whether that be early morning rehearsals that lasted all day or late nights of memorizing scripts, the cast was truly devoted to the story they were trying to tell.
Kenzie Robinson (12), who played Meg March in cast A, recalls one of her favorite moments from working hard with her fellow cast members.
“There’s not a singular moment [that was my favorite], but any time rehearsing the scenes with all four of us sisters. Especially when we were still learning our lines and blocking and messing up, it was so much fun because we could laugh it off and make inside jokes like real siblings,” Robinson (12) said.
Lines, Tech, and Lights, Oh My!
Technical matters were another considerable difficulty for the cast on show day! Although having attended numerous rehearsals, shows are bound to have some inevitable mistakes, regardless of the number of times rehearsed. The cast and crew delivered an exceptional performance that left the audience in awe. Although the discrepancies didn’t impact this amazing production in the long run, the cast and crew were their own biggest critics! Sterling Steinberger (12), as the role of Laurie, reflects on his performance.
“I noticed that I tended to stumble over my words, and when there was a fluke in a scene, I couldn’t really contribute to getting the scene back on track,” Steinberger (12) said.
Like every other theatre production, there are bound to be simple, minor slip-ups. The Little Women cast and crew thought back on their performances with a great sense of accomplishment. The production was a huge success, and all who were a part were truly charmed by the talent the production team displayed.
Both casts had outstanding performances; each actor and actress was delighted with the audience’s overwhelming, supportive response (and the fact that they were oblivious to what could happen behind the scenes!)
