Little Women to Close on May 22 After Less Than Astonishing Run

It has just been announced that Little Women: The Musical will close at the Virginia Theatre following the matinee performance on Sunday, May 22.

Based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women: The Musical has a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, and lyrics by Mindy Dickstein. Sutton Foster stas as Jo March, with Maureen McGovern co-starring as Marmee. For her work in the show, Foster received a 2005 Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. The cast of Little Women also includes Amy McAlexander, Megan McGinnis, Jenny Powers, Janet Carroll, Danny Gurwin, Jim Weitzer, and Robert Stattel. The production was directed by Susan H. Schulman.

At the time of its closing, the show will have played 55 previews and 137 performances on Broadway. Producers, Randall Wreghitt, Dani Davis, Chase Mishkin, and Ken Gentry have announced that a 30-city national tour of the musical, starring McGovern, will begin in San Diego in August.

In his TheaterMania.com review of Little Women: The Musical, Marc Miller wrote: “With its deliberate scene-song-scene-song construction, traditional values boldly declared, simple life lessons, and pretty, unadventurous harmonies, you might mistake this show for the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein — that is, if it were bigger and better….For all its beguiling moments, [the show] would have more impact and pungency if it didn’t keep posturing and going through such predictable paces. It’s almost as if it were in contention to be named the Best Musical of 1958.”