Admittedly, I was a bit confused when I was on the way to MAD Theater’s production of Little Women: The Musical. After all, it’s not every day that the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, a STEM-focused entity, collides with the arts.
But perhaps that’s the beauty of theater in an educational setting: having all the charm of low-budget productions and a high school show choir where the little theater kid in all of us finds a home.
A rendition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, the production tackles the book’s core themes — girlhood, sibling rivalry, and the patriarchy — with musical numbers that, unfortunately, are occasionally drowned out by the live orchestra, as I often found myself thinking of my own chorus teacher constantly telling us to “project” and “enunciate.”
In contrast, Marmee (played by Cathy Barth, alternating with Susan Henry) commands the stage, standing out against a simple backdrop and set design (by Millie Tansill) as she delivers powerful vocals, belting out high, operatic notes like a seasoned professional, not just a member of a special interest club.
It’s simultaneously annoying, yet refreshing, to think that many of the issues that plagued a girl child in the 1800s are still prevalent today. There are snappy insults that hint at the sexism and misogyny of that era, such as “You are what happens to a girl when she has no father” and “All girls marry,” by Aunt March (played by Christine Wells and Barbara Ying), which a headstrong and defiant Jo (played by Maura Campbell and Taylor Gleason) rejects, affirming that she’s not all girls.
There’s an infamous saying that those who don’t learn from history, repeat it, and in 2026, we’re seeing that come to fruition as the societal ills of the past remain, particularly regarding marriage, gender roles, and all the things women and girls should or shouldn’t do — like reject the affections of the supposed good guy who doesn’t take no for an answer, in the form of Laurie (played by Keshav Swaminathan) who, upon being told by Jo that she’ll never marry, is adamant that she will, just not to him.
How terribly depressing that it’s been 158 years since the book was first published — and no still isn’t seen as a complete sentence.
Running Time: Approximately two hours plus a 15-minute intermission.
Little Women: The Broadway Musical plays through November 22, 2026, presented by the Music and Drama Club (MAD Theater), NASA Goddard’s Music and Drama Club, performing on the grounds of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD, in the building named the Barney & Bea Recreation Center at 9998 Good Luck Rd., Greenbelt, MD. One enters the grounds via an unmarked (but GPS-able) entrance and checks in with security to reach the performance space. Purchase tickets (adult, $26; senior and military, $24; child, student, and intern, $14) online.
The cast and crew are here.
Little Women, The Broadway Musical
Book by Allan Knee
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Directed by James Pildis
Assistant Directed by Keshav Swaminathan
Music Directed by Susan Breon
Produced by Emily Letchworth
