VALDOSTA – Directing “Little Women: The Broadway Musical,” Jeffrey B. Moss ignored the numerous movie adaptations and went straight for the original source material for insights and inspiration.

Louisa Mae Alcott’s book, “Little Women,” published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.

Moss’ professionally touring national production is scheduled to play a March 10 matinee performance in Valdosta as part of the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts Presenter Series.

“When one starts with a title like this of a book that is so beloved in so many ways by so many people in so many languages, it is a great responsibility,” Moss said in a phone conversation from his New York home with The Valdosta Daily Times.

“Little Women” remains a story about family, about women’s rights and women’s independence, Moss said, “and Alcott was a leader in that era.”

Even as a musical, “Little Women” centers on the book’s well-known story.

A family of sisters comes of age during the Civil War in the relative safety of the North, while the men are away at war. Jo is the precocious, daring sister who defies expectations of settling down and marrying with her dreams of becoming a famous writer.

Moss said “Little Women” is, in many ways, autobiographical of Alcott’s life, adding she wrote under pseudonyms to see her work published in a male-dominated publishing world. She wrote on various subjects with varying success.

“She realized that what she needed to write about was all around her.”

“Little Women: The Broadway Musical” opened in Kentucky earlier this year and has been making stops across the nation. The show was on break the last week of February and returns for shows in early March in Florida before coming to Valdosta.

“Our audiences come in with great knowledge of this book and these characters,” Moss said. “So there is a great responsibility for the director to measure up.”

Casting the show relieved a lot of that responsibility, he said, adding “it’s a wonderful cast. … Most important thing when directing a show is casting. You’re looking for humanity on the stage. … You want to be able to find the truth on the stage.

“Audiences want to look up on stage and see something that’s truthful.”

Being a musical, the songs dig deep into insight from the book.

“The musical follows a lot of what Alcott thought was important and what she embraced in the book,” Moss said. “The songs here do a great job in defining characters.”

Sementha Mathews, Turner Center executive director, said last year that “Little Women: The Broadway Musical” was scheduled as a special Sunday matinee so more families can attend the show.

“Little Women” is the last production in the 2023-24 Presenter Series season.

The Valdosta Daily Times is a long-time Presenter Series sponsor.

“Little Women: The Broadway Musical” plays 4 p.m. Sunday, March 10, Performing Arts Center, 3101 Barack Obama Boulevard. More information, reservations: Visit the arts center, 527 N. Patterson St., call (229) 247-2787, or visit turnercenter.org.