CCM's production of 'Little Women' named best local show of 2024

Cincinnati’s ‘Sappy Critic’ lauded the musical in a recent Cincinnati Magazine article

Cincinnati Magazine recently interviewed theatre aficionado Kirk Sheppard, who publishes reviews of local productions on his Sappy Critic website. When asked about his favorite show of 2024, Sheppard singled out the UC College-Conservatory of Music's February 2024 production of Little Women: The Broadway Musical.

"Vincent DeGeorge, the new chair of musical theatre at CCM, staged it inside Household Books in Walnut Hills," Sheppard explained to Cincinnati Magazine contributor Sarah McCosham. "It was brilliant and beautiful and surprising."

CCM's innovative off-campus staging of the musical—which is based on Louisa May Alcott's classic novel with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee—was acclaimed throughout its sold-out Feb. 21-25 run. DeGeorge served as director, producer and choreographer for the production, which featured music direction and accompaniment by CCM faculty member Julie Spangler. Learn more about CCM's production of Little Women by downloading the digital program.

[CCM's production of "Little Women"] was brilliant and beautiful and surprising.

Kirk Sheppard

Little Women is one of the many CCM productions that received critical acclaim in 2024. CCM students, faculty and productions received an impressive 58 nominations for the most recent BroadwayWorld Awards.

When asked about what performances he was looking forward to in 2025, Sheppard selected CCM's April 24-27 production of the iconic rock musical Hair, which is directed by DeGeorge with music direction by CCM faculty member Stephen Goers. "Coming up in 2025, CCM will produce Hair in the spring, which should be stellar," Sheppard explained. Tickets for Hair are on sale now through the CCM Box Office, and can be purchased online at ccmonstage.uc.edu.

Read more by visiting Cincinnati Magazine's website.

Next OnStage

CCM's Mainstage Series continues with the fairy tale opera Cendrillon playing Nov. 13-15. Then our ticketed concert series continues on Nov. 18 with performances by both the Ariel Quartet and the CCM Jazz Lab Band.

Want to see what's Next OnStage at CCM? Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive details on upcoming CCM OnStage performances. New issues are published every other Wednesday, and you can manage your subscription settings at any time.


Featured image at top: Musical Theatre majors Gracie Parker, Madison Mosley, Kassandra McMillan and Amanda Bishop perform in CCM's February 2024 production of "Little Women," which was presented off campus at Household Books in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati. Photo/Mikki Schaffner

Related Stories

1

Sugar overload killing hearts

November 10, 2025

Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.

2

Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?

November 10, 2025

The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

3

App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease

November 10, 2025

An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.