Lyric Stage’s “Little Women” Production

When it came time for performances, every audience was packed with eager eyes and steady applause.

Mississippi College’s Lyric Stage put on a production of “Little Women” on the weekend of March 30- April 1. Jamie Ertle, adjunct voice instructor at MC directed. Dr. Beth Everett directed the production’s music, sung by a cast and crew of 29. Everett was unable to see the final product of her first “Little Women” production at Southwestern University in Georgia due to COVID-19 shutting everything down. Coming to MC gave her a second chance to help music direct the show for a second time.

The play featured various actors and actresses whose work and dedication to their characters showed. They had long days and nights of practice and behind-the-scenes work that the audience would never see. When it came time for performances, every audience was packed with eager eyes and steady applause.

Maria Guay, a junior at MC, played leading lady Jo March in the show. “The rehearsal process for any musical is hard. Sometimes you can lose hope in the middle of it because it just seems chaotic and sometimes it feels like things just don’t go together,” she said.

Audience members came from all over to see the show, and were impressed by the students’ and directors’ performance and hard work. Some of the audience had never seen “Little Women,” and had the opportunity to experience the show for the first time. Anna Katheryn Charbonnet is a sophomore at MC and attended the second performance of the production. 

“I had never seen ‘Little Women’ before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was really impressed with all the singing and acting,” Charbonnet stated. “I can tell everyone put a lot of hard work and time into the production, and I enjoyed it.”

So many students were willing to join the production that there were two separate casts for the show. Each cast had a different interpretation in their performances, and had the chance to show their personalities and talents. 

“Both of our casts recognized that our shows were different from each other. Each cast brought a uniqueness to the show,” Guay said. “There was never real comparison or competition between each cast, because we all just wanted everyone to do their best. Each cast wanted the audience to enjoy each show.”

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