Little Women by Peter Clapham, adapted from a novel by Louise M Alcott

This Louisa M Alcott classic story is set in Massachusetts during the American Civil War and is the first in Alcott’s trilogy of stories about the March family. The play tells the story of how the four March sisters and their mother cope without father and though poor try to contribute to the community.   This classic adaptation was by Peter Clapham and stayed faithful to the book.   Zoe Freedman directed this strong cast to provide a great production.

‘Meg’ is the oldest of the March sisters and was beautifully played by Lizzy Merifield, her emerging romance with ‘Mr Brooke’ (Richard Koslowsky) was sensitively handled and both characters were believable in their tender love for each other.  Amy Perkis was cast as ‘Amy’ presenting an expressive and enjoyable performance.  Fiona Galloway gave an energetic and animated portrayal of the feisty tom-boy ‘Jo’ who brought great chemistry to all her interactions and Laura Demaude was thoughtful and kind in the role of ‘Beth’.

Their mother ‘Marmee’ was played by Maria Kwater who delivered some very taxing narrative. Housemaid ‘Hannah’ was performed by Carol Bell who delivered her witty lines well.  ‘Aunt March’ is a foreboding character and was played by Maureen Willis with direct and forceful delivery.  Michael Crowe as the boy next door ‘Laurie’ gave a delightful performance with lovely character and great excitement, and his Uncle ‘Mr Laurence’ was played by Howard Russell with a genuine character which warmed as the play progressed.  The cameo role of ‘Mr March’ (the father) was portrayed well by Ken Taylor in the final scene and brought the performance to a pleasant conclusion.

All of the characters had worked on their accents which were consistently maintained throughout the performance.  The delivery of all the lines flowed well and the comedy lines were well timed which added humour to the play and was clearly enjoyed by the audience.

The costumes were very appropriate for the era.  The set was a fixed box set, with period props, and was beautifully dressed with the several scene changes carried out slickly by the cast and crew.   There were some lovely lighting techniques in particular a very effective ‘through the window’.  The sound provided suitable effects including background music which added to the atmosphere to the period.

A beautiful and sensitive portrayal of this classic story – very well done to all involved.

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