There’s much to like in the musical Little by Little, a show of modest proportions and ambitions. Three characters – who are identified only by their genders (Man, Woman #1 and Woman #2) – go through the “pains” of childhood, adolescence and early adulthood together. As they sing in one of the songs, the show is about the “trouble of mixing friendship and love.” And do make note that singing is all they do; the show has no dialogue.
Little by Little is a 1999 Off-Broadway musical that played in the Theatre at St. Peter’s Church. The In Tandem production is the show’s Milwaukee premiere.
Under the tight direction of Chris Flieller, the show clips along at an appropriately quick pace. The three performers are all fine, although the man (Michael T. Black) resorts to overacting at times. Black is also the show’s choreographer, and his movements are appealing and appropriate for such an intimate theater.
Behind the stage are three metal wardrobes and an equal number of metal chairs. The actors use these wardrobes to change clothes a number of times during the performance.
The “trouble” with their friendship is introduced from the get-go, in which a bored group of kids finally decide to play a game of tag in someone’s backyard. All the touching elicits some unusual sexual feelings, which the kids are eager to explore. “Going steady” soon becomes more romantic over time, when the man and woman #1 (Jenna Vik) decide to take their feelings somewhat further.
This spurs a longstanding, unrequited love in woman #2 (Rachael Zientek). She also would like some of the man’s attention but doesn’t want to alienate her friend. Also, she feels that her appearance and manner aren’t the type to which men are attracted. This situation produces a good deal of humor.
Costume designer Liz Shipe does a terrific job in telegraphing the differences between the women. Woman 1 wears heels, bright lipstick and the latest fashions, while Woman 2 is relegated to less form-fitting dresses, cardigan sweaters and flats. She also has an out-of-date hairstyle (despite it looking very pretty on her).
It doesn’t take much guesswork to see where this plot is going. In one of the funniest scenes, Woman 2 subs in for Woman 1 during an important business deal over dinner. The Man already has promised the prospective client that he will be accompanied by his fiancé. But Woman 1 is off to sow some wild oats, we later learn. Woman 2 is pressed into service as a “favor” to both friends. She gets progressively drunk as she is forced to continue the charade. The man grins through gritted teeth as Woman 2 makes comments that may be taken the wrong way by their guests. It all works out in the end, however.
The actors’ singing voices range from adequate to very good, and their excellent enunciation gets every point across to the audience. Music director David Bonofiglio is possibly the hardest-working member of the team, since he and his sound board provide all the music for each performance.
Little by Little may bring back memories of an earlier stage in life – that’s the show’s goal, anyway. Whether it does or not, this musical is a pleasant way to spend an evening.
