Little Women

Little Women the book is well known, the musical not so much. I was intrigued to see how this well known story would translate from page to stage. Under the careful direction of Mal Fidler this story came to life. A decision had been made to present this musical in the round  thus seating the audience on two sides of the action and giving the actors nowhere to hide , in my opinion this worked brilliantly at St John`s. The set was obviously a fixed set with different levels to depict Jo`s bedroom and Mr Lawrence`s house, there was a fireplace to one side, a little side table, a moveable piano, a chaise longue and a fixed staircase. Costumes were very fitting to the era for the main with a few modern pieces mixed in. Props were minimal but were pertinent to the scenes and were handled competently and confidently by the cast.  Victoria Sladen as Musical Director was unobtrusive and her cast had obviously been well drilled as no notes were dropped and no entrances missed. It was an interesting and brave decision to use a three piece orchestra and overlay musical tracks but it worked perfectly for this production, timing was exquisite and it sounded to the audience as if it were a much bigger orchestra and not a mix. The lighting was sympathetic to the scenes and to the era, it is always a concern to me about a director wanting to put their stamp on a production and taking things far too modern , i was very pleased to see that Mal Fidler stayed traditional in that manner , the actors were never left in darkness and all cues were met. Sound was good if perhaps a little loud overall at times but my guest and I were seated directly beneath a speaker. Pace was good for the main but at times in the first half it did seem a little laboured however pace in the second half was excellent.

The March sisters as a whole had some fabulous chemistry together, the dynamics within the family unit were very clear to see. Alison Foy as Marmee showed off her great range of both acting and vocal skills in this part, she truly gave this character life , she made the audience feel everything that she did as her character received news from her husband during the Civil War. She was able to express the worries and hardship of the time being left to bring up three young girls while firmly extending her belief in always helping others. Alison always sings with lovely tone and fullness in her voice, she emotes beautifully and has a true understanding of light and shade in a song. Megan Wight as Jo March was clear and concise in both  dialogue and vocals, she had a superb grasp on Jo`s character, her exuberance, her stubborness, her fierce loyalty , her forthrighedness, I loved the way she was comfortable enough to go from frantic excitement to quieter introspection and self doubt without dropping pace at all. Vocals were strong, tone was good, diaphragmatic breathing was great but I  was put very much in mind of Kate Monster from Avenue Q by the accent she had chosen to develop for this character.  Madeleine Kelsey-Lyon as the softly spoken sweet Beth was beautifully portrayed as the much quieter, calmer, sister, her dialogue and vocals  delivery was clear , I enjoyed watching all her interactions with her sisters, I was a little perplexed however by her make up never getting any paler as she became more and more ill and died. Hannah Baxendale as Meg March had some beautiful vocals , she navigated working in the round with ease and kept pace well, watching her relationship on stage with John Brooke (Kit Phillips) develop and grow throughout the show was a quiet masterclass in how to do it - every movement,every glance was pure Meg not Hannah. Kit rolled out a stunning performance, he was very much at home with the audience being as close as they were and his vocals in "More Than I Am" were spot on, he emoted well, the chemistry between Meg and John was very evident. Angela Mayall as matriarchal  Aunt March was strident , fierce and comanding yet she managed to show us glimpses of a softer side, she kept her accent and haughty demeanor well and her vocals were strong. Laurie played by Tom Morris was endearing and clumsy,  his dialogue was  clear , diction was good during his characterised frantic delivery . His chemistry on stage with first Megan (Jo) and then Emma (Amy) was good, he threw himself completely into all his choreography and seemed very comfortable working in the round. Emma Koannonov played Amy March - the spoiled youngest sister who blossomed into the cultured young lady and then bride to be under Aunt March`s careful watch, she cleverly portrayed Amy`s young spiteful side and her insecurities right up to the wedding. She had some pleasant vocals , dialogue was clear, her use of the stage space was good especially when the sisters were using the staircase.

Paul Wynne as Mr Lawrence looked completely at home on the stage, i especially enjoyed his snippet at the piano with Beth, he managed to portray the thawing of his character from gruff elderly gent to kind friend of the whole family in a very believable way. Paul Dawson as Professor Bhaer was incredible, how he managed to hold his accent throughout the whole show and deliver his dialogue clearly and concisely is a mystery to me, his chemistry with Jo was evident from the start . he used his stage space well and never embellished his character, he was believable. 

The Principal cast and ensemble worked very hard in this show and executed the fun and exciting choreography by Julie Milligan to a high standard, it was fresh and innovative and very enjoyable to watch, this coupled with the strong harmoniesthat had obviously been well drilled with the cast helped to move the show along well. Well Done Whitworth AMDS, my guest and I enjoyed the performance and I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

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