Little Women [Original Broadway Cast Recording]

( 9 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Louisa May Alcott's perennially popular 1869 novel Little Women, recounting the domestic adventures of the four March sisters (particularly the literarily minded middle sister, Jo) in the Civil War era in Concord, MA, has proven perennially popular as a subject of adaptation into other media, especially since the book fell out of copyright. There was the classic 1933 film starring Katharine Hepburn; a 1949 movie with June Allyson; a 1958 TV musical with songs by Richard Adler; a 1978 TV movie; and a well-received 1994 screen version featuring Winona Ryder. And, starting on January 23, 2005, there was a Broadway musical (no relation to the Adler work), with songs by ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Louisa May Alcott's perennially popular 1869 novel Little Women, recounting the domestic adventures of the four March sisters (particularly the literarily minded middle sister, Jo) in the Civil War era in Concord, MA, has proven perennially popular as a subject of adaptation into other media, especially since the book fell out of copyright. There was the classic 1933 film starring Katharine Hepburn; a 1949 movie with June Allyson; a 1958 TV musical with songs by Richard Adler; a 1978 TV movie; and a well-received 1994 screen version featuring Winona Ryder. And, starting on January 23, 2005, there was a Broadway musical (no relation to the Adler work), with songs by composer Jason Howland and lyricist Mindi Dickstein, starring Sutton Foster (fresh from her Tony-winning performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie) as Jo, with cabaret singer Maureen McGovern as Marmee, the mother of the brood. The show made a modest appearance on Broadway, which had in recent years seen a plethora of musical adaptations of public-domain novels. Neither particularly liked nor disliked by critics, it nevertheless settled in for an extended run, and while the cast album, recorded the month after the opening, seems to have had a little trouble finding a home, such that it did not appear in record stores until May 2005 through the auspices of theater specialist Ghostlight Records, the show was still running at that point. (After the Tony Award nominations virtually ignored it, only giving a nod to Foster, it closed on May 22 after 137 performances.) On disc, the reasons for both the theater community's indifference and the public's acceptance are suggested. Certainly, this is not a remarkable score; serviceable would be a better word to describe it. The lyrics have none of the wit that critics revel in when it comes from the pen of Stephen Sondheim, and the music is neither traditional Broadway show music nor entirely in the camp of the sub-operatic style of Andrew Lloyd Webber, though it suggests both at times. But then, Little Women is not the sort of material that would be likely to attract either Sondheim or Lloyd Webber. As the show goes on, it becomes apparent that Dickstein is aiming at a simple, plainspoken language that matches the tone of the book, while Howland, though capable of dramatic passages (particularly employed comically in "An Operatic Tragedy," as Jo recounts one of her overwritten early stories to a friend at the outset), also wants to match his music to the understated particulars of the story. The score is conventional and workmanlike: it gives co-star McGovern two showcases ("Here Alone" and "Days of Plenty") and provides Foster with a typical Broadway "I am" song ("Astonishing"). Indeed, it provides her with much more; this is nothing less than a star vehicle, and Foster, who may be to Broadway what Sandra Bullock was to Hollywood in the early 2000s, a rough-and-ready heroine who can handle a kiss or a pratfall with equal aplomb, is up to that challenge. Slow to get going, Little Women makes its points about family commitment and social responsibility movingly by its end, and it's no surprise that audiences respond to that kind of sincerity. (A national tour of Little Women began on August 30, 2005.)
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/3/2005
  • Label: Ghostlight
  • UPC: 791558440522
  • Catalog Number: 84405
  • Sales rank: 44,558

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Sutton Foster Primary Artist, Vocals, cast
Original Cast Recording Indexed Contributor
Maureen McGovern Vocals, cast
Martin Agee Violin
Lawrence Feldman Clarinet, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, Piccolo
Tony Kadleck Trumpet, Cornet, Flugelhorn
Karl Kawahara Violin
Ted Mook Celli
Russ Rizner-French French Horn
Jim Saporito Percussion
Mary Whitaker Violin
David Blinn Viola
Arthur Fiacco Celli
Mark Lusk Euphonium, Bass Trombone, Tenor Trombone
Liuh-Wen Ting Viola
Sylvia Davanzo Violin
Eric Degioia Violin
Andrew Wilder Conductor
Megan McGinnis cast
Richard Sarpola Bass
Danny Gurwin Vocals, cast
Janet Carroll Vocals, cast
John Hickok Vocals, cast
Sean Carney Violin
Lynne Cohen English Horn, Oboe
Amy McAlexander Vocals, cast
Rob Meffe Piano
Robert Stattel Vocals, cast
Jim Weitzer Vocals, cast
Little Women Pit Orchestra Performing Ensemble
Meg McGinnis Vocals
Jenny Powers Vocals
Technical Credits
Joel Moss Producer, Engineer, Audio Production
Steve Norman Executive Producer
Kim Scharnberg Producer, Audio Production
Scott Hull Mastering
Jan Folkson Pro-Tools
Noah Cornman Executive Producer
Kurt Deutsch Executive Producer
Jason Howland Composer, Producer, Audio Production
Peter Hylenski Sound Effects
Allan Knee Liner Notes
Mindi Dickstein Composer
Allen Knee Liner Notes, Book
Susan H. Schulman Stage Direction
Mindi Dickstein Lyricist
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 9 )
Rating Distribution

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(8)

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    AMAZING!

    BEST BROADWAY CD I OWN SO FAR!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    great soundtrack

    i love this cd!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    My New Favorite Broadway Album!!

    I have been waiting for a new classic Broadway album for years -- and here it is at last! I love the full orchestra, the great Broadway singing, the songs that I hum in my head all day long. My favorite song, Some Things Are Meant To Be, although Days of Plenty is a close second. Lush, romantic, and sassy too - this is my new favorite CD!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Astonishing!!

    "Six generations have read this story. This one will sing it." And sing it they have done. Very Good! ASTONISHING. I saw the show in March and could not wait for the CD..it is wonderful. Congrats to the cast and crew.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Amazing soundtrack!!!

    This soundtrack is really excellent!! My favorite songs are Our Finest Dreams, Five Forever, Astonishing, and Some Things Are Meant to Be. Sutton Foster has an amazing voice!! I wish I could have seen this show. Maybe the tour will come to my city!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    LITTLE WOMEN IS ASTONISHING!

    This is a superb recording of music from the Broadway show, "Little Women", produced by Grammy award-winner Joel Moss along with the musical's composer, Jason Howland, and orchestrator, Kim Scharnberg. The music is wonderful from start to finish. Unlike many Broadway shows these days, this is an entirely acoustic score -- no synthesizers. The music and lyrics range from emotional to comic. The beautiful orchestrations earned Kim Scharnberg a Drama Desk nomination for Best Orchestrations. Highlights of the CD include Sutton Foster's first act closer, "Astonishing", Maureen McGovern's "Days of Plenty", and John Hickok's "How I Am". But, don't overlook the wonderful duets, such as Jenny Powers and Jim Weitzer signing "More Than I Am", Janet Carroll and Sutton Foster signing "Could You?", Megan McGinnis and Robert Stattel singing "Off to Massachusetts" and Amy McAlexander and Danny Gurwin singing "The Most Amazing Thing". "Some Things Are Meant to Be" is as powerful on the CD as it is during the show. If you've seen the show, you will definitely want the CD. If you haven't seen this wonderful musical, the CD is the next best thing. Buy it!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 29, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 19, 2010

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 19, 2011

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews