It has now been 157 years since Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was first published. Yet, here we are, still gathering in a full theatre for another adaptation of this classic story about the four March sisters and the tale of them growing up against the backdrop of the American Civil War, and their own fight for happy lives despite poverty and social constraints.
There must have been hundreds of adaptations of Little Women, some of them ranked by journalists and analysed for the best performances, best interpretation, all through different mediums: theatre, cinema, tv series, opera, and even an anime series!
Anne-Marie Casey’s adaptation is a faithful homage to the beloved classic with a beautifully written script that reflects the times and the voices of these young women. We’re welcomed to Ruari Murchison’s cosy, atmospheric stage with big trees separating the outside world from the inside, warm home of the March Sisters.
Grace Molony takes the centre as Jo March, the aspiring writer with immediate presence and joyful energy. Joined by Jade Kennedy as a beautiful and responsible Meg, Catherine Chalk as a young and charismatic Beth and Imogen Elliott as the good-natured Amy, the four actors bounce off each other with a perfect, fun symmetry of a well-played table tennis game with sparkling energy and witty remarks. Joined by Cillian Lenaghan as the new neighbour Laurie and his tutor John Brooke played by Jack Ashton (doubling as Professor Bhaer), the young take us on a fun journey of friendships and love.
Loveday Ingram is a steady hand through the plot, carefully guiding us event after event with safe direction that works in a perfect harmony with (again) Casey’s brilliant writing, though one might feel that the Festival Theatre is almost too big for this snug production.
While Lenaghan and Molony give justice to the playful chemistry of Jo and Laurie, the same can’t be said for the romantic relationships on stage. There seems to be a shift in the air as we come back to the second part where the cast appears to be somewhat tired of each other, mechanically going through the love affairs without the spark that we saw between the sisters. Here, I find it much more fun to watch Honeysuckle Weeks carry on her confident performance as ‘Marmee’ and of course, Belinda Lang, flawless and equally as intimidating as funny in her role of Aunt March. The main question in my mind was whether this lack of chemistry was on the production or, perhaps it’s unavoidable, baked into the story? There have been so many discussions about whether Jo, Meg and Beth settled for married lives in the end, but this adaptation of Little Women isn’t here to analyse this question.
As the last scene crept in, I found myself disappointed to leave their world, not quite ready to say goodbye to the March girls, wishing I could spend just a little bit more time in their company.
Little Women ran between 1st–5th April 2025 at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.
Date of performance reviewed: 5th April 2025
