A quiet, unaccompanied refrain from Battle Hymn of the Republic opens Anne-Marie Casey’s stage adaptation of Little Women, the classic and much-loved novel by Louisa May Alcott. As the melody rises and the harmonies build towards the chorus of ‘glory hallelujah’ the cast of eight appear one by one onstage, their homely costumes and a creative set – slender tree trunks set behind Jo’s writing desk and Beth’s piano, doubling as indoors and out – transport us back to nineteenth-century America in the grip of Civil War. Singing fades into humming and the scene opens on the cosy domesticity of the March sisters and their mother Marmee, learning how to navigate life as they each discover their ambitions and venture into the wider world over the course of the play.
The bickering, boisterous, sisterly relationships between Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth are portrayed with charm and likeability from the off, beginning in pirate fights and culminating in marriages as we follow their journeys into womanhood. These familial bonds and each sister’s developing sense of self are the focus of the play, rather than the overtly Christian morality underpinning the novel – celebrating what it means to be the hero of your own story and stand strong in the conviction of who you are.
The bickering, boisterous, sisterly relationships between Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth are portrayed with charm and likeability from the off
The darker moments and themes of the story are lightened with a humorous touch and there’s plenty of romance too, not only in the awakening of love for Meg, Jo, Laurie and Amy but in the family carolling round the piano, the softly falling snow and birdsong that denote seasons changing and years passing, and the easy affection between the sisters and Marmee (played in this performance by Ellie Pawsey) in the home that anchors all the action of the story. Often a strategically placed curtain or bookshelf is all the stage needs to evoke a ballroom or boarding house, moving the actors seamlessly through the events of the novel and keeping the audience tenderly wrapped in the world they’ve created.
As in the novel, Grace Molony’s feisty yet empathic Jo stood out as the most compelling character – though as an ensemble piece, this warm-hearted retelling of Little Women rests on the shoulders of each carefully cast member of the small but talented company and its crew. If you loved the book and the recent Greta Gerwig film, you’ll find Anne-Marie Casey’s sweetly staged adaptation a nostalgic delight.
