Rosebud students to perform Little Women musical

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

Rosebud School of the Arts brings Little Women to the BMO Studio Stage, opening Friday, Nov. 27.
The musical highlights the talents of the six women who comprise the school’s second-year class.
“Little Women is essentially about these four young girls, these four sisters, who’ve found themselves in turmoil of war and this life where their dad is off fighting,” said Caitlyn O’Connor, who plays Jo March.
The story is set during the American Civil War, between 1862 and 1865.
“They really have to depend on each other, but they’re all very, very different,” she said.
Jo, the second oldest sister, “wants to be independent. She wants to be a writer and that wasn’t a thing that women did so much back then,” O’Connor said. “She has to choose between love and work and writing, and family and writing.”
Director Nathan Schmidt may have cast her in the role because she’s stubborn like Jo
“(Jo) has a lot of stubborn bones in her body and I think she struggles with the need to be independent and she gets angry a lot,” said O’Connor. “She’s very passionate and quite driven … I suppose I have a bit of that in me.”
Stephanie Lanting plays Jo’s older sister, Meg.
“Meg is more of the stereotypical woman of that time,” O’Connor said. “She’s really focused on love and family … she really wants to love and be loved, and to have family.”
One of the funniest scenes in the play is a ball scene where Meg gets sort of undone.
“Stephanie is just so good at being the flustered and frustrated Meg who’s also in love and trying to impress the boy,” said O’Connor.
Beth is the second youngest sister, who really wants to be at home and to be safe.
“Beth is quite gentle,” said O’Connor. “She’s the peacemaker … she’s the one who would love to just sit by a crackling fire with her tea and her knitting, and have all her family surrounding her.”
Cassie Garbutt and Bethany Wickens alternately play Beth, and each of them brings “an entirely different color and flavor to the role,” O’Connor said.
“I see a more driving Beth in Bethany. (Beth) gets sick so she’s physically weak … but she’s not weak-spirited. I see that particularly when Bethany plays that role. And I think Bethany really likes to bring out the humor and the play in Beth.”
With Cassie Garbutt, on the other hand, “I find it’s easy to be more cuddly and just be more warm with her,” O’Connor said.
Natalie Kloster and Maggie Mackenzie alternately play the youngest sister, Amy.
“Amy is more about being fancy and beautiful and having nice things and going abroad to Europe,” O’Connor said. “She’s kind of a brat … but Amy also brings a lot of youthfulness to the story.”
Mackenzie and Kloster are “both very good at being bratty and they’re both very good at sort of having that young energy,” O’Connor said. “They both bring a wonderful sweetness.
“There’s just so many things packed in there that are general parts of the human experience, that we can feel and that can resonate with us … It will touch (everyone who sees it) and they will all be able to relate to it.”
Little Women will be performed at 4:30 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Nov. 27 to Dec. 19 on the BMO Studio Stage. Get tickets at rosebudtheatre.com or 1-800-267-7553.