Over 150 years ago, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was considered ahead of its time stylistically, and was an almost instant hit. It has remained one of the most widely read and popular novels and has been the subject of so many adaptations for stage, film, TV and radio that you could write a book about that topic alone.
Greta Gerwig’s glossy 2019 Hollywood screen version did a great deal to stir up a renewed interest that has no doubt helped fuel a new spate of productions in recent years, but some have been more successful than others at capturing the essence and sentiment of the book.
This adaptation by Anne-Marie Casey falls very firmly at the triumphant end of that spectrum, steering a course that avoids the saccharine of Gerwig’s take, and favours realism and good old-fashoned storytelling over excesses of stylistic or stagey affectation.
Casey first adapted the novel for the stage in 2011, returning a decade later to re-write a new version, which had its premiere at Pitlochry Festival in 2022, and was revived in two new productions in 2024. The current tour, which opened in Coventry in March of this year and subsequently received an extension with some cast changes, is a new production under the direction of Loveday Ingram, although the designs by Ruari Murchison are largely those he made for the Pitlochry staging.
Choosing to pare down the onstage characters to a minimum, handled by a cast of eight (only one of whom plays a double role) renders the narrative gloriously transparent. Natalie Dunne gives a captivating performance as Jo March, delivered with authority and swagger. Alongside her are Jade Oswald as Meg, Megan Richards as Beth and Jewelle Hutchinson as Amy. All bring tremendous individuality to their parts, but common to them all is a beautifully studied development of their characters as they mature by stages through the passage of time. This is especially noteworthy for the younger two, Beth and Amy, who undergo a striking transformation in personality from their first scenes to their last. Juliet Aubrey is the rock from which the family gains its foundation as Marmee (Margaret March) and she has a quiet stoicism and calm that is a perfect foil to the energy of her children. Belinda Lang, meanwhile, plays the harridan Aunt March almost as a caricature, worthy of Lady Bracknell.
From outside the family, Perry Williams has just the right balance of charm and aloofness as the enigmatic Laurie and, despite knowing the outcome of the story, his reading of the part still manages to make his changing affections feel like a surprise. The cast is completed by Tom Richardson, who plays both the shy, gentlemanly John Brooke and the fiery unpredictable Fritz Bhaer.
Casey’s script, which neatly talks its way around the physical absence of all the other characters whose names are mentioned (including Robert March even after his return from Washington) is filled with the fun and wit of the novel, and many of the neatly dropped one-liners land right on target, bringing plenty of laughter to the audience to temper the harsh underlying reality of the story.
As the seasons come and go and years pass, musical interludes by Matthew Bugg help to both locate us in time and cover the subtle scene transitions, marked by frequent flurries of snow, the coming and going of the trappings of Christmas, and one particularly neat scenic device that takes us to New York and back.
This is seamless storytelling that brings Alcott’s familiar characters back to life with enormous charm, and under Ingram’s sure-footed direction it all sweeps along with deftly timed momentum. When the end comes it leaves us with the same sense of disappointment in having to leave these young women at a pivotal point in their story. The mark of great drama is a play that leaves you wanting more - this must be how readers of 150 years ago felt when left awaiting the sequel.
Little Women is at Liverpool Playhouse until 8th November, when the current tour reaches its end.
Star rating: 4 stars
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The cast of Little Women - Pictures by Nobby Clark
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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