Hannah Taylor is living out her literary and theatrical dreams by playing Jo March in Little Women: The Musical , which will be performed on Tuesday at the Valentine Theatre.
“As cheesy as it sounds, (playing Jo) really is a dream come true. This is a character who has inspired me for so long,” said Taylor via phone. It’s still unreal that I get to step into her shoes every night. It’s really affirming to play a character who’s so strong and passionate and its rare that you get to play a role this juicy.”
Little Women: The Musical is based on the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, which tells the story of the March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Taylor plays the main character of Jo, an aspiring writer.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: ‘Little Women: The Musical’
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday
WHERE: Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St., Toledo
COST: $49 - $89
INFORMATION:
valentinetheatre.com This musical adaptation is just one of numerous times the novel been adapted for stage and screen over the last century and a half.
Taylor said she strongly identifies with the character of Jo, who has been portrayed over the years by everyone from Katherine Hepburn and June Allyson to Winona Ryder and Saoirse Ronan.
“The role of Jo speaks to me because it truly aligns with who I am as a person,” said Taylor. “I think I very much connect with the feeling of knowing you might not fit in to the way society wants you to be and to own and accept who you are fully. I remember growing up I never quite felt that I fit in where I was supposed to be and to play a character that so well encapsulates that and is fearlessly herself is really empowering.”
Taylor remembers reading the book Little Women in elementary school, and recalls the book having a lasting effect on her.
“I remember reading it. I didn’t remember a whole lot of the details but I remembered how it made me feel to read about all these characters and how different they all were and how flawed they were but you really cared for them as a reader,” said Taylor. “When I got the role, I reread the book several times.”
Prior to being cast as Jo March in Little Women: The Musical , Taylor played Jane Seymour in a production of SIX that played on a cruise line, a role she described as “another dream come true.” Taylor also plays guitar in her spare time and can be spotted playing gigs around New York City.
Little Women: The Musical premiered in 2005 to great acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for actress Sutton Foster who played Jo in the original Broadway production.
One person who saw the original Broadway run of Little Women: The Musical was Valentine Theatre director of marketing and programming Matt Lentz, who fell in love with the show when he saw it years ago.
“When we heard it was available to tour nationally, it was a no brainer to add it to our Broadway series. There are only so many mega hits that everyone wants to see, so when known, classic titles are made available to tour, they become natural series additions for theatres like ours,” said Lentz.
The production will be the final one of the 2023-24 Broadway Series at the Valentine, the theatre’s 25th, which began in November with Jesus Christ Superstar and included performances of Come From Away and a special concert from Johnny Cash with the help of his estate.
Lentz said he is finalizing negotiations for the 26th Broadway Series which will have titles announced later this month.
Directing this touring production of Little Women: The Musical is Jeffrey B. Moss, a veteran director who has staged more than 35 national and international tours of various productions, including Guys and Dolls , The Sound of Music , and Annie to name a few.
Speaking to The Blade by phone, Moss wryly answered “before electricity” when asked how long he’s been directing shows. He laughed and then said “I’ve been at it for a long time, each one is a new experience, one hopes one gets better each time, and each show has its own personality and message.”
Moss said when he was approached to direct a production of Little Women: The Musical he initially didn’t know quite how he would approach directing the show. But he said that once rehearsals began, he began to hone in on his vision for the production.
“It was a very revealing and interesting rehearsal period. This company is quite gifted. They’re all good actors and there was a discovery made in the course of this that affected the show, I see the audience getting what we were trying to give it,” said Moss.
Like Taylor, Moss said he has come to believe in the power of Alcott’s story about women overcoming adversity and fighting for themselves in a time where that was not common.
“This is much more than just the story of these sisters. It’s about sisterhood, it’s about the female writer who was like the author of the book — very outspoken, very ahead of herself who was fighting the prejudices against women at that time,” the director said. “It’s a very moving, interesting story ... It is so much about family and thanking the people we love and who have loved us and how that empowers us.”
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