Palmer High School musical a hit with this guy

The perfect date — Palmer High’s “Little Women — the Broadway Musical.”

Yeah I know, a musical, not my favorite either and a high school musical play at that. I was pleasantly surprised and wonderfully entertained by something much more than just another high school play. It was a professional production.

“Little Women,” a classic Civil War novel by Louisa May Alcott, follows the lives of the four March sisters from childhood to adulthood.

Act I opens with Jo March, a budding author, in a boarding house in New York. Through a series of flashbacks, Jo relives her Massachusetts childhood with sisters Meg, Beth and Amy.

Casting of the sisters is perfect. Each had a wonderfully individual characteristic that was apparent halfway through the first act. Costumes were not only right for the period, but the colors seemed to amplify the sisters’ personalities. Amy, the younger sister, played by Chantel Grover, wore light, flighty colors while the oldest sister, Meg (Nancy Means), wore dull colors. Even though the actresses were about the same age I soon forgot that, as I got caught up in their characters and their story.

The set lent itself to frequent scene changes. Set design was by Rod Mehrtens, who has some 50 sets to his credit. The fireplace in the March family parlor looked inviting enough to back up to — everything but the smoke.

It is a musical, so that means an eight-piece orchestra directed by Stan Harris and Sarah Guhl. On occasion it seems as if the orchestra was overpowering the singers, but on most numbers it was just right. The singing interludes flowed into the story so well it seemed more like a play than a musical. All the cast members sing well, but what really brings the story alive are the expressions, or acting — that didn’t look like acting — even while singing.

Jo March, played by Irene Fry, does an incredible job. She was always in character on and off the spot. Facial expressions, movements, actions — all real — and a wonderful singer projecting her character into your heart.

“Here Alone,” a solo by Naomi Schwartz, who plays Marmee, had me feeling the sadness and seeing her as a lonely Civil War mother, not a high school student.

Act II opens back in New York with Jo March in the present still trying to sell her story — “Operatic Tragedy.” As she starts reading her story, it’s played out on stage complete with a raucous sword fight, old hags, trolls and the lovely damsel in distress. A few scenes later it’s a tear-jerker. Heather Bachelder as Beth, and Irene Fry as Jo, sing “Some Things Are Meant To Be,” a duet that left me, a troll lover, misty-eyed.

The March sisters experience it all: family–love–tragedy-love — in another word, life. Through it all I was entertained, got some laughs and, yes, a lump in my throat.

Director Grant Olson, a frequent Valley Performing Arts director, has an eye for detail and has demonstrated he knows how to get the best out of the cast and crew. He has made this much more than a high school musical. He has no doubt passed on an appreciation for the theater arts to all involved.

Never read the book or saw the movie, but I loved the musical. Yeah, I know it’s a musical. See it. You’ll love it.

Playing tonight and April 8, 9, 10. 7 p.m. Adults $10, seniors/students $7. Call 746-8403.

Rex Gray is a Valley resident who loves live shows (especially musicals now) more than reality TV.