Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is the heartwarming story of four sisters growing up during the American Civil War. The siblings are the responsible Meg, gentle Beth, ambitious Amy and the irrepressible Jo. While taking liberties with the original narrative, this musical adaptation remains focused on Jo’s journey as she reluctantly leaves the safety of childhood and her fairy-tale imagination to embrace adulthood and write about real life. The use of Jo’s melodramatic tale of Rodrigo and his romantic exploits works effectively as a framing device and establishes the central theme, but other elements of the adaptation are less successful. Although the retelling contains several moving songs and memorable moments, it would benefit from firmer editing and clearer structure. The production feels overlong and the storyline lacks focus. The addition of characters such as Fred Vaughn and the reduction of the part of March girls’ father are puzzling choices. In the latter case, it is a shame that Julian Ovenden’s talents are so underused. A similar issue arises with the comic role of Aunt March. Tracie Bennett makes the most of the part, but the character remains a tired stereotype. Unfortunately, this is also true of the other comic figure, Sallie Gardiner. Many of the comic moments fall flat, and several characters are either underdeveloped or trite. With the contrasting love stories of Jo and Professor Bhaer and Amy and Laurie, the second act gains greater focus. The Act Two duet “When Nighttime Falls”, sung by Chris Mann as Professor Bhaer and Christine Allado as Jo, achieves genuine emotional depth. Another highlight of the evening is Kerry Ellis’s performance as Marmee and her stirring rendition of “Little Women.” This reimagining of Alcott's masterpiece has the potential to become a charming classic musical, but like Jo’s tale of Rodrigo, it requires some substantial reworking to fulfil that promise.
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Roger Alaorn
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