Little Women The Broadway Musical

Little Women The Broadway Musical was based on Louisa May Alcott’s well-known semi-autobiographical novel and had its Broadway debut in 2005. It arrived in Manchester in 2017 and London in 2021 but didn’t seem to gain the same foothold here as it did in its home country. I for one had never come across it before this production, although I was well aware of the original novel of course, and what a delight it proved to be.

It focuses on the four March sisters: traditional Meg, wild, aspiring writer Jo, timid Beth and romantic Amy, and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts as they grow from childhood to womanhood, while their father is away serving in the Union Army, towards the end of the American Civil War.

What an amazing set we were presented with! Representing the March’s attic, it was crammed with all the ephemera that accumulate over the years in an attic, topped with two A-frames for the roof. Top marks to designers Verity Gravestock and Lisa Willis, their construction team and whoever sourced all those marvellous props and pieces of furniture and arranged them to look so realistic. A platform at the back and use of the floor front stage left provided extra interest with the different levels. Virtually everything the cast needed was already on stage and the scene changes (by costumed cast) were so slick and well-orchestrated they appeared choreographed. Ian Pratt’s lighting gave the whole set wonderful atmosphere, highlighting individuals when needed. You could really feel the dust caught in beams of sunlight at times, and Beth’s death scene was particularly poignant. The costumes (Emily Harkness) fitted the bill perfectly, especially the magnificent ball gowns and wedding dresses for the ladies.

Matt Sackman must be congratulated for weaving such beautiful pictures throughout the show – as the cast switched seamlessly from real life to acting out scenes from Jo’s stories. He had ensured that singing standards were top quality too, solos, duets and larger numbers, with some lovely harmonies. The whole show ran without hesitation at breakneck pace, and we hardly noticed how long act one was, it passed in a trice. There were no set-piece dance numbers, but I could feel Choreographer Emily Goldthorpe’s influence running through the show because everything flowed well and movements were so natural.

What a barnstorming performance Emily Harkness gave as Jo March! Full of energy, bouncing around the stage as she pursued her ambition to be a writer, but quietly portraying her sadness when she realised everyone had moved on without her. Her duet with Professor Bhaer, well played by Rob McGough, when she at last realised their love for each other, was really touching. The other sisters Jess Knight as Beth, Courtney McGough as Meg and Daisy Harkness as Amy all brought out their individual characters convincingly and all four interacted so well you could easily believe they were real life bickering and jealous, but loving sisters. Johanna Whatmore as Marmee provided the calm and reassuring presence that kept them all together, and her solo “Days of Plenty” was most moving. Iona Harkness as Aunt March was nicely stern; an old-fashioned presence they all fought against. Sean Ridley gave a perfectly judged performance as the shy neighbour Laurie. With his marvellous mannerisms he commanded the stage, and shone as his swash-buckling alter ego Rodrigo in Jo’s stories. Liam Peters similarly got the gentle, kind character of John Brooke spot on, and seemed to revel in his alter ego of the baddie Braxton in Jo’s imagination. Brian Sweatman was the perfect grumpy neighbour Mr Laurence, who was softened by Beth’s piano playing into a generous grandfather figure. Lastly, the sword fighting scenes (choreographed by Sean Ridley) really impressed me with their realism.

Sound (Tom Davison of Trained Ears) was faultless in this notoriously tricky hall, and the balance between the singers and backing tracks was spot-on, essential when the lyrics are telling the story.

The excellent quality programme (Sammi Crook) was redolent of the late 1800s in style, and full of information about the show and cast. You should consider submitting future programmes to our competition…

It is so refreshing to see a show I’ve never come across before, and your production was a great introduction to this delightful musical. Huge congratulations to the cast, creatives and crew for producing such a first-class piece of theatre, professional in every respect.

I can’t finish without mentioning the very end, after the curtain call, as the lights narrowed down to show just the four sisters reading Jo’s book together, making us realise this was auto-biographical. What a perfect ending!

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