By: Sara Lamerton
Louisa May Alcott’s enchanting novel, Little Women, has captured hearts for over 150 years. Its charm, wit and simplicity of message still resonate across the generations and Loveday Ingram’s production offers a fitting celebration of this classic coming-of-age tale of love, loss, endurance and self-discovery.
Whilst it can be difficult to convey a novel’s depth of character in a short space of time, Ingram’s Little Women confidently leans into the strength and boldness of its protagonists, clinging passionately to the bonds of sisterhood. Each character’s personality collides and synergises with one another, showing how the ties that bind constantly push and pull us into the dark and light versions of ourselves.
If you are unfamiliar with Little Women, the March family consists of: Aunt March (Belinda Lang), the miserly, controlling matriarch; Marmee (Ellie Pawsey), the calm, ever giving mother figure who puts everyone’s needs above her own; Meg (Jade Kennedy), the beautiful, romantic older sister, who chooses love over money; Beth (Catherine Chalk), the sweet, genteel youngest sister whose fate is sealed long before her tragic ending; Amy (Imogen Elliot) the feisty, self-serving sister who knows what she wants and goes after it, and Jo (Grace Molony) the powerhouse of the show – defiance and determination, incarnate.
Although all of the March women are lovable in their own way, each with life lessons to learn and wisdom to impart, Jo March is the central feminist icon who pushes past limitations and boldly braves a world of independence and creativity, standing firmly against a society that still very much kept women in boxes.
Aside from the family dynamics, one of the stand out relationships in Little Women, particularly in this stage performance, is that between Jo March and Laurie (Cillian Lenaghan), Jo’s best friend who, before things get romantically awkward, is Jo’s treasured companion and confidant. Their infectious, free-spirited relationship pulls the narrative along and supports Jo’s evolution in a pivotal manner.
Of course, Little Women is a product of its time, and, for all Jo’s fire and self-possession we still find the central narrative revolving around the embrace of romantic love, with the one female character who isn’t married portrayed as a cruel, miserable spinster. However, holding the story to today’s more enlightened perspectives on female empowerment is unrealistic and a relatively small criticism in what, at its core, is a tale that upholds diversity of character, emotion, and a call to be true to oneself, even in a world that oppresses it.
If you have read the book, watched a cinematic adaptation, or never had any previous engagement with the March’s story, there truly is something for everyone in Anne-Marie Casey’s heartwarming adaptation. The performances are solid, the story is delightful and you leave the theatre having thoroughly enjoyed yourself. What more could you ask for?!