The chorus bells are ringing at Athens Drive, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4. The Athens Drive Theatre Department put together the newest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s sell-out novel, Little Women.
Since its release in 1868, the book Little Women has been adapted into over 20 feature films, television shows, ballets, operas, plays, and even an animated Japanese series (PBS). The newest musical spin-off of Alcott’s novel takes place right here in Athens Drive.
“Little Women is very pretty, and it’s definitely a period piece. It’s very romantic, it was so exciting to see all of our hard work pay off,” said Liza Medlin, Stage Manager for the Athens Drive Theatre Department.
Along with Medlin, Grace Edwards, who was the stage costume designer for Little Women was proud that their hard work was given a chance to shine on stage.
“They (the costumes) were all gorgeous . . . We also were able to buy the costumes new,” said Edwards. “They were clean and nice, and we didn’t borrow them from anybody so we got to keep them.”
It’s not just the people who worked on the play who had strong feelings about it, even first-time viewers such as Abagia Getachew.
“It was so pretty, I felt like I was transported back in time,” said Getachew, “And oh my god, I sobbed like a baby during the scene on the beach.”
One of the scenes that viewers thought was the most tear-jerking was the infamous “beach scene” with the character Beth, played by Claire Roth, who passes away.
“I honestly just think of Beth like a little child, she needs to be protected. She thinks of her sisters as her whole world. She just loves them so much.” said Roth.
One thing that was hard for Roth to do was to get into her character because as an only child, it was hard for her to do a total shift to having four sisters. One of such sister was Joe March, played by Emma Dilley, senior.
“It made my heart warm when I found out that Claire would be playing Beth. Claire is just a really important person to me, we’ve been friends since freshman year and she has always been there for me,” said Dilley.
Along with the tears that were shed over the play, there were also laughs.
“I thought that overall it was funny, I really liked it,” said Mia Mclamb. sophomore.
Erin Santa Croce was the music director for the musical, and she worked to get the community involved in the production.
“I really appreciate the support of the entire community,” said Santa Croce, Athens Drive Choral Teacher and Music Director for the musical.
