The Black and White

by Jillian Mastrostefano and Kharmalina Mitchell

Photos by Will McColl

It is well known that Pilgrim’s drama club is capable of incredible feats, having put on numerous successful plays and musicals over the years, but this past weekend an astounding production was once again achieved among this talented group of students. From November 22 to November 24 the Pilgrim Player’s executed Broadway’s Little Women beautifully. 

Little Women is not only an exquisite musical, but also an engaging story, one that these players showed on stage gracefully. With stunning voices, chemistry, costumes, effects, and countless other elements, the dedication and enthusiasm that it took to accomplish this performance was incredibly clear. 

This musical focuses on a family of women, growing together through hardships and promises. While watching these actresses on the stage, the most noticeable element was the chemistry obvious in and out of costume. This play was a perfect choice for this year’s cast, their sister-like bond already established, the act of stepping into these roles seeming effortless. The pure emotion and connection between each and every character was perfectly showcased amongst these girls. 

Focusing on the March family, one of the most significant characters of this weekend’s play was Jo March, played by senior Alexandra Howlett. With much main character experience, Jo was another perfect role for Alexandra. Howlett’s major confidence on the stage empowers her in the most impressive ways, bestowing her with a loud and strong stage presence. “I got to show an emotional range that normally isn’t available in musical theater and I love all of the people and I’m so thankful for the company, cast, and crew.”

Pilgrim Theater allows voices like hers to be heard, the weight of Jo March’s crucial to the musical as a whole. As an independent, passionate young woman, Jo March was a perfect representation of Alexandra Howlett and Alexandra Howlett was a perfect representation of Jo March. 

Continuing through the March family was an impressive performance from freshman Isabella Alves through the role of Marmee March. Marmee as a character is gifted with much wisdom and inspiration which was flawlessly depicted by Alves’ singing voice alone.“This was my first year, it was amazing.. this was really great and I loved being Marmee.” It’s evident that Isabella has a beautiful future ahead within the drama community, it’s going to be exciting to see what she does next, and it’s clear she’s only getting started and only getting better. 

Amongst other members of the March family were the rest of the little women, all sisters played by Bridget Pouliot, Lily Mathison, and Addison Eaton. It was impossible for one actress to play a role without the support of the others. These women worked as a team–a family–to deliver such an excellent performance coming straight from the heart. Little Women is known to be an emotional yet inspiring production, and each of these actors brought together a piece of their personal performances to accomplish that exact goal, fulfilling as little women, but with big hearts. 

The success of such a deep and complex production is not only accomplished by its actors, but its tech, crew, and advisors that make sure every little thing about the show runs smoothly. “We had like zero problems today. It was very nice, everything went very smoothly, we practiced a lot so it should.” The time and dedication spent on productions like these make performances like this one so incredibly worth watching. Every single member involved in this show has used several moments of their personal time to guarantee the success of this production. Taken from Pilgrim Drama’s advisor Rich Denningham, “It was a great experience start to finish. The kids were amazing, they were really into it, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them.”

When such passion for a project exists, it’s that quality within the contributors that make these shows so special.