La Sierra University to stage Broadway musical “Little Women”

Produced by the university’s Director of Vocal Studies Raejin Lee, the musical by composer Jason Howland and lyricist Mindi Dickstein will be performed at La Sierra’s Hole Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 21 at 3 p.m. The La Sierra University Orchestra under Dean Anderson, director of orchestral studies, will accompany the performance. Music department alumnus Paulette Jumalon serves as staging director and costume consultant for this fully-staged production.

First produced on Broadway in the mid 2000s, the musical “Little Women” and its originating coming-of-age novel by Louisa May Alcott is based on the author’s life, following the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March and their adventures growing up in Civil War America.

The cast features La Sierra students and alumni from the music program and other academic disciplines who have appeared in numerous musical and operatic productions, choirs, ensembles, music competitions, international tours and broadcast performances. They include music major Alexander Mayang, a member of university vocal ensembles whose unique abilities as an oktavist -- someone who can sing an extraordinarily low bass to a contra B-flat -- have amassed more than 30 million likes and over 680,000 followers on his TikTok account, XandertheOktavist. He appears in “Little Women” as Mr. Laurence and Branxton.

Two cast members, Karenna Brand and Nina Jackson are high school students with a background in musical theater. Brand, a junior at La Sierra Academy is the youngest cast member and landed the oldest character role of Aunt March. She will also play the role of Clarissa. Her appearance in “Little Women” will serve as her seventh La Sierra University production. Jackson has appeared in numerous musicals at Lifehouse Theater in Redlands where she will perform in “Newsies” this summer, and has performed in “The Little Mermaid” at the Redlands Bowl. She has been involved in costuming, tech, set building, choreography and directing and has written and produced an original musical for her church. She will make her debut at La Sierra University as Beth March in “Little Women,” a role that holds a special place in her heart.

“Speaking as someone who suffers from chronic pain, I have always looked up to Beth's quiet strength in how she holds herself through her illness,” Jackson said. “From a very young age my family would listen to an audio book production of this story and I always related so heavily to Beth in the latter half of the book. She always inspired me to be better despite my ailments and to not let them hold me back.”

"Little Women" actors, some in double-cast roles for the two-show production also include Bridget Lee as Jo March; Lillian Oceguera as Beth March and as the Hag; Iman Asher-Haq as Meg March; Nicole Anne Tiburcio and Vivianna Williams as Amy March with Williams also playing the Troll; Tiburcio and Juliana Baioni as Marmee March; Tem Brown as John Brooke and the Knight; Marc Roy Ejurango as Laurie Laurence; Isaac Estrada as Rodrigo; Ernesto Miranda as Professor Bhaer; Bri Garcia as Mrs. Kirk; and Autumn Saulsbury as Helga.

Tickets for “Little Women” the Broadway musical are general admission, $23; seniors, $18; and student/child admission, $10. Tickets can be purchased at https://music-events.lasierra.edu/calendar/2022-2023-season/

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. For further information call 951-785-2036 or email music@lasierra.edu.