MIDWEST — Springfield, Ky., native Aaron Robinson has done plenty of work with the Lexington Theater Company, but now the native Kentuckian is taking the stage in a Broadway tour. It's a comeback of sorts for Robinson.
Robinson said he dreamed of playing in “Little women” for years. When he heard the national tour was casting, he said he had to jump at the chance.
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“This is a story that is almost ingrained in us as a culture. I read it at school. I know a lot of people read the story in school and I was really drawn to the music in this show—it's absolutely gorgeous—but really it's the story itself. It is a story about perseverance and triumph against impossible odds,” he said.
Robinson plays John Brooke in the show, the love interest of Meg March.
“It's very much a love-at-first-sight relationship. John Brooke gets a little silly and doesn't tell when he first meets her. It's that quintessential musical theater, love at first sight kind of thing. People always get a big kick out of it when they see the show,” Robinson said.
The pair sing a duet, which Robinson said is always a pleasure to perform.
However, his favorite part has to be the “Operatic Tragedy” played at the beginning of Act II. During the sequence, characters from Jo March's book come to life.
“Her imagination seeps into the real world a little bit and we see her characters come to life and play out this bold and daring and adventurous story. There is a hero and a villain, but there are also trolls, witches and knights. It's a very medieval fairytale energy that's channeled into our show,” said Robinson.
Robinson said the action is welcome. The show itself is set in Concord, Massachusetts, during the Civil War, so the Shakespearean opera is a favorite of his, as well as many audience members. The costumes, whether more Shakespearean or Civil War-themed, are all accurate. They even come from a costume shop based in London. It's the same costume shop that provided many of the costumes for 'Game of Thrones'.
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But amid all the love stories, period ballads and funny imaginative moments, Robinson said there's a much deeper message for Midwestern audiences.
“I hope the audience takes away the power of family. I think family, especially brotherhood — the relationship between brothers — is the core of the show,” he said. “And the power of persistence. I really think that this show is about — especially for Jo, the central character of the show, but really for everyone — getting knocked down over and over again, but getting back up and using those experiences of loss or tragedy or failure, using those experiences that will lead you forward in life”.
“I hope they see what Jo is going through, and what all the sisters are going through, and see that 'If she can get through this, maybe I can get through whatever I'm going through.' It really is a timeless story. There is a reason why the novel has had such power over the years. The topics it covers are really so relevant, even today. It may be an old novel, but the ideas of feminism and the strength of this sisterly relationship that everyone has is what keeps people coming back to this story again and again,” added Robinson.
Katy Glodosky, the executive director at the Weill Center for the Performing Arts in Sheboygan, Wis., echoed those themes, saying the story was “timeless” and appealed to all ages.
“We hope [audiences] leave with a feeling of adventure and joy and a little heartbreak and love,” he said. “It's a classic coming-of-age story [with] a lot of family elements and brotherhood and overcoming challenges and really finding yourself.”
This theater season marks the first time the Weill Center for the Performing Arts has hosted a Broadway series. Glodosky chose the tours to run through Sheboygan, Wis.
Her favorite part of “Little Women,” no matter the adaptation, is following the lady's path.
“I really like Jo's story. He is a creator. She is independent. He does not follow the typical path of society's standards. She does what calls her, what is her passion. She finds her truths and lives by them,” Glodosky said. “It inspires me. I hope it will be an inspiration to others.”
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“Little Women” runs in Lexington, Ky., at Lexington Opera House from March 14 to 17. It then heads to Portsmouth, Ohio The Vern Riffe Center for the Arts on April 24 and in Akron, Ohio Akron Civic Theatre on April 25. Later this spring, the “Little Women” head to Sheboygan, Wis., running in the Stefanie H. Weill Center on May 3. He returns to Ohio that month, running in Toledo Saint Valentine Theater on May 14.
