JADAR

★★★☆☆

Little Women is a highly revered piece of classical American literature that has inspired generations. This adaptation of the beloved tale into a two-act play, by Anne-Marie Casey and directed by Loveday Ingram with a brilliant cast, is no small feat. This piece was highly realistic and clearly  reflected the original themes of female companionship, societal expectations, and the American ideology of following one’s dreams with hard work.

This piece was excellent in its design. Ruari Murchison, designer, created breath-taking scenery and set that was immersive and mystical. The design truly elevated this production, making it feel warm, loving, and fairy-tale-esque, the woods remaining on stage made a homey design that reflected Jo’s imagination wonderfully. Murchison’s design also provided stunning period costumes, paying homage to both the film(s) of Little Women and the original novel. There was obvious love and true craft present in every costume, set piece and prop.

Similarly Mike Robertson created a beautiful lighting design that highlighted the warm and cool themes both of nature and the characters. Robertson has a true knack for lighting design to enhance narrative.

This rendition of Little Women had moments of singing, musical undertones, and themes throughout that were composed by Matthew Bugg. During the first half of the production, I was moved by the carols and hymns in the story but found some moments to be overused. At points, the audio design drowned out the actors. My other lingering issue was the transition between particularly dramatic moments. There was an audio effect that warped the sound, building up to an isolated bang, which I have previously only heard in nightclubs and during Ghost Stories as a scare tactic. This choice felt isolated and did not fit the traditional atmosphere, unsuccessfully attempting to modernize these moments. 

Belinda Lang, Aunt March, had a perfect diction and characterisation, making a brilliant comedic relief as the overbearing aunt. Jade Kennedy gave a remarkable performance; her rendition of Meg March perfectly encapsulated the director’s intention to modernize the humour of the production while maintaining its roots. Kennedy was authentic, hysterical and loving, everything Meg March is.

I was impressed by Imogen Elliott, playing Amy March, and her ability to switch between juvenile young Amy to a more mature adult self. Her flexibility in performance was notable. Grace Molony, playing Jo March, is another powerful performer, perfectly capturing the vibrant and rebellious spirit of young Jo. Her character arc was notable as she learns to tame her temper and begin to mature. I felt transported back to my fifteen year old self during her performance.

I was impressed by Honeysuckle Weeks’ emotional performance as Marmee March and Jack Ashton’s portrayal of wildly different John Brooke and Professor Bhaer. Catherine Chalk played a charming Beth March, capturing her innocence well. Finally, Laurie, played by Cillian Lenaghan: though his accent struggled in moments, he had a grasp on the light-heartedness of Laurie but this rendition narrowed in on his anger in Act II, which was unexpected.

Unfortunately, this production also had a difficult time producing authentic American accents (I’m American!). Their accents were scattered across regions; it felt like there was a lack of confidence in a majority of their accents that hindered their emotional journeys. There was a strong focus on correctly managed stage-fighting and playfulness that came across as choppy. It is hard to capture improvised playfulness but the majority of these moments felt over-rehearsed. Capturing playfulness is a life-long skill in performing. Discovering new nuances and meaning in emotion and character is what the craft of acting teaches and with a young company, this is how they learn to develop this skill.

The script had a true dedication to highlighting the story but it felt both condensed and long. There was a delicacy in the narrative to showcase the well-known moments but some of the themes surrounding characters were rushed, sudden and underdeveloped. The arc of Amy March was summarised in one conversation. This made her story fall flat and sadly took away from the narrative. This writing choice followed each character, much to my dismay.

The great monologues of Little Women were the victims in this production, as they were rushed through, almost castaway in this production. Amy’s speech was rushed and underdeveloped, Laurie’s confession of love was hindered by unnatural blocking, Beth’s death-bed monologue was wordy and confusing, while Jo’s revelation in her character was rushed. I felt this was partially due to the script and partially due to the direction. The choice to speed up moments made the entire show fall flat, as it did not allow for a slow-burn of growth. On the other hand, there was care in every scene present. Loveday Ingram has a passion for this story that came across clearly.

One particular choice that left me unsettled were the moments of modern theatre thrown into this mainly natural piece. For example, when Amy March fell into the frozen lake. The highly creative scene that was set up with a beautiful use of space as the characters skated across the stage, was, in my opinion, ruined by the modern movement of Amy miming the fall in slow motion. There was a similar moment when Beth March passed away in Act II. Beth died silently and then did a similar rise of modern movement into a light at the back of the stage. In a piece that is almost entirely naturalistic, these moments felt uncomfortable and, unfortunately, almost comedic in juxtaposition. I felt the choice to modernize the humour between sisters more complimentary than adding in unnecessary movement sequences.

This rendition of Little Women is highly creative and beautiful in its inception, with a true heart at its core. The love in this piece is rare to find in modern theatre, however, there were faults in accents, pacing and direction that hindered the authenticity of its performers. The piece is clear while also maintaining its roots of imagination between the sisters. I was moved to tears and found myself responding to this piece like the first time I read Little Women. Fans of the narrative, young women, and dreamers everywhere will love this piece.

Little Women runs at Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until April 12th and tours the UK until November 1st.

Photo: Nobby Clark