“Little Women,” the Broadway Musical is coming to Utica’s Stanley Theatre on Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.

 “Little Women” tells the story of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March as they traverse through life as they deal with tragedy, love and the transition into womanhood. 

Noa Harris will play the role of Amy March, the youngest of the March sisters. She said that this role was particularly exciting to play because she knows how loved the story is and how much the characters mean to people. Harris also said that she has a personal connection to the story as well.

“Little Women is a story that I first read when I was 13 years old, and it is so interesting the way that my perspective on the characters has changed as I’ve gotten older,” Harris said. “Amy, in particular, is such an interesting character to me. It can be so easy to play Amy as a caricature of the bratty villainous youngest sister. But every character is more than just the most simplified or stereotyped version of themselves. It’s been exciting to find the humanity and truth of Amy March. Playing with her youthful yet headstrong energy has been really fun for me.”

According to Harris, the rehearsal process was one of the fastest she has ever experienced. The cast rehearsed for around two and a half weeks in New York City before starting the tour.

“We started with a full table read and then we had a few music rehearsals. After that, we staged all of Act One over the course of two days and then did the same with Act Two,” she said. “The pace of this rehearsal process was, at first, pretty intimidating. But this cast and creative team created such a supportive and productive environment that the feeling of overwhelm was overpowered by excitement and trust in the process.”

In order to make their production perfect, the cast has to juggle many tasks in order to be prepared on time.

“I found that one of the more challenging aspects was during the period of time where I was still memorizing the actual content of the show. In that first week, I was memorizing my lines, staging, and music all while trying to allow myself to play and experiment in the rehearsal room,” Harris said. “It can be really tough, initially, to focus on the logistics of memorizing the show while also “letting go” enough to make new, creative choices. Once we opened the show, I found that the hardest part has been picking and choosing where I use my physical and mental energy. It can be very taxing to perform a show daily while also continuously traveling. Because of this, we have to be very responsible with our physical and emotional selves when we are not actively performing. This can be a challenge, but giving my body the rest that it needs is extremely rewarding.”

Harris said that it is hard to encapsulate her favorite part of Little Women into one simple statement because the story is so much more than one lesson or idea.

“I love that it is a story about taking agency over your own life, particularly as a woman, and finding fulfillment and joy in whatever path you take,” she said. “It is also about what happens when that agency is taken away.”

According to Harris, the musical represents the many different facets of girlhood and that it is definitely worth the watch.

“Specifically through a portrayal of sisterhood, Little Women illustrates the value of the relationships that drive us in life,” she said. “ I think that everyone can find bits and pieces of themselves in each of the March sisters.”

Tickets can be purchased at www.thestanley.org.