What went wrong for Little Women?

It's boring as hell.

It was cute. Sutton was the whole show.

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Bad marketing.

Ugly tacky logo too.

This argument about spectacle killing other shows has been going on forever. Similar to the Jerry Herman vs. Stephen Sondheim debate. There's room for all of it on Broadway.

For partisans of Little Women to feel the show they love died because Wicked or anything else is TOO BIG and takes business away from them is rubbish. Little Women died because it wasn't very good and came across as old-fashioned. The old-fashioned aspect in itself in not a bad thing, but for a work with as undramatic a plot as Little Women had, it needed to knock audiences dead in the score department with strong, melodic songs. I'm talking about "take home tunes" here. It didn't deliver. Which is why the CD will sit for ages on many of our shelves at home, unlistened to for long periods of time.

Updated On: 5/29/05 at 12:15 PM

What didn't?

It did well enough to get a tour.

they'll put ANYTHING on Tour. Esp. After it's already been on broadway-half the costs are already taken care of, because upon closing they usually just take the same sets and costumes and throw 'em on the road. Little Shop didn't do well and there's was a dress rehearsal for the tour a week before it closed. Hell, even Bombay Dreams got a tour (early next year). Audiences outside of NYC tend to be much easier to please.

I really am starting to believe that I am the only person who was dissatisfied with Sutton Foster's performance? The day I saw the show, she was pitchy and screeched her way through all of her numbers. She could barely make it through Astonishing, and I thought for sure that she would leave at intermission (she didn't). Anne Kanengieser, Maureen McGovern's understudy, seemed to be acting like she was in a totally different show. Danny Gurwin came off so gay as Laurie. No offense, but it was just really wrong for this show. I wanted to ring Amy McAlexander's neck after about 5 minutes. I have not bought the cast cd, and I probably won't.

Bad marketing. If the marketing was better, this couldve been a pretty big hit, IMO.

Lucille and Luke, I agree. I was not impressed by Sutton at all. The way she's built up on this boared, I braced myself when she started to sing. Then I let out a sigh and went, "that's it? That's what everyone has been raving about?" It just didn't work for me.

-Vincent

Lucille and Vincent - did you see her in "Mille"? She was superb in that show (and that show was superb as well).