Interview: Jenna Lea Rosen Is Bringing Jo March Into the 21st Century in JO - THE LITTLE WOMEN MUSICAL

As BroadwayWorld first shared last week, a new song was just released from Broadway-bound Jo – The Little Women Musical. Conducted by composer Dan Redfeld with lyrics by Christina Harding and John Gabriel Koladziej, the single features Jenna Lea Rosen as Jo and members of the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

Under the previous Working Title of “The Little Women Musical,” the show performed sold-out engagements earlier this year at Los Angeles’s Knitting Factory and New York’s 54 Below. Based on Louisa May Alcott's iconic coming-of-age novel, Jo is a modern reimagining for a new generation, asking us all - "Will you have the courage to tell your story?"

Following the single release of “Fly Away,” a New York industry workshop is set for 2024 with veteran Broadway producers Willette and Manny Klausner (WMK Productions) co-producing. WMK Productions has had blockbuster successes on Broadway and the West End, including Hadestown and MJ the Musical.

Below, BroadwayWorld checks in with Rosen to learn more about the new musical, her take on the classic character, and so much more.

Can you first tell us a bit about this song and where it happens within the story?

The song “Fly Away” is Jo’s realization that her childhood is coming to an end, that she must decide what she wants to do and where to go next. Her best friend, Laurie, has just confessed his love for her, and she is not prepared to accept his proposal. She wants more out of life than what she has been told she can have because she is a woman. She swears to use her pen and paper to change her life once and for all. 

What's it like performing Dan Redfeld, Christina Harding and John Gabriel Koladziej's music?

Performing Dan’s music and Chrissy’s and John’s lyrics has been an honor and a great joy. The score is beautifully cinematic and classic. It is truly a singer’s dream to sing their sweeping score. I am so excited for audiences to hear these stunning and unique orchestrations.

We've seen so many versions of Jo March portrayed across varying artforms. How do you see her and was there any key in the text to unlock her as a character?

I love Jo because she is mess of contradictions. I have always been interested in her rebellion and her disregard for convention. Her yearning to be free, to travel and to go against societal norms in regard to marriage and career really resonates with me.

Jo is so forceful and original. Her struggle to find her place in the world as an author, a daughter and as a woman is just as relevant today as it was 150 years ago. I see so much of my own journey in hers. A moment in the novel that has always stuck with me is when Jo tells her family she wants to be a famous writer, “I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle--something heroic, or wonderful--that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. I think I shall write books and get rich and famous; that would suit me, so that is my favorite dream.” No one in her family tells her that her dream is foolish. They support and encourage her.

People will inevitably look to compare this show to the 2005 musical. In what ways do you feel it stands out as its own entity?

Naturally there will be some who want to compare. Because the story is so timeless and authentic, every generation seems to have their own version - be it a film, a play, a ballet, or a musical. With “Jo,” the writers have captured the deeper spirit of the novel. These characters are larger-than-life and that’s reflected in “Jo’s” epic score and the storytelling.

In the same way that Sutton Foster’s Jo was a facet of herself, my interpretation is processed through my own experience. What makes all art special is the people who make it. 

Could you imagine if we never had Mary Martin’s version of “Peter Pan?” Or if Andrew Lloyd Webber hadn’t seen a musical called “The Phantom of the Opera” and felt compelled to create the show we all know and love today? 2005 was almost twenty years ago - the world is a very different place. ”Jo” belongs to the present time.