Little Women
Sharnbrook Mill Theatre
29th November 2023
2023 has been another great run for the Sharnbrook Mill Theatre, who this year brought us fantastic productions of ‘A Man Of No Importance’, ‘Stop The Play’ and of course their sell-out ‘Evita’ last month. They’re closing out the year with their production of ‘Little Women’, a play adapted by Scott Davidson from Louisa May Alcott’s semi-autobiographical 19th century novel. The coming-of-age tale is based on the adolescent lives of the author and her three sisters, and deals with family, sacrifice, duty and the role women played in society at the time the novel was written.
In 1860s Massachusetts, the March sisters live with their Marmie (Alexandra Goodbody), while their father (Tris Baxter-Smith) fights in the Civil War. The girls are close-knit but vary in temperaments; the childlike Amy (Lauren Chacon), the gentle Beth (Grace Powell), the wise Meg (Emily Dignan) and the tempestuous Jo (Leila Hoch). They squabble despite their affection, and often act out short plays written by Jo, much to the delight of Marmie and housekeeper Hannah (Beverley Evans Matthews). The arrival of a neighbour’s grandson Laurie (Josh Broomhead) and his companion John (Miles Dolby) sends the girls into a flutter, much to the disdain of their aunt (Virginia Pope), who insists that the girls marry for financial security and social standing rather than love. For Jo, she begins to question if she’s the marrying kind at all, and asks why they’re not allowed to have dreams of their own.
‘Little Women’ may be over 150 years old, but the questions it asks remain as relevant today as they ever did, and Alcott’s characters deliver it wonderfully. There has always been a delicate grace to the piece, which this production (directed by Condoleezza Hankins) absolutely captures, and fears of it feeling old-fashioned or stale are quickly negated thanks to its warm performances which capture far more humour and personality than the play is normally given credit for. As to be expected when dealing with one of the “classics”, the play is very word-heavy and talky, which does drag the second-half down a little, but it delivers the key moments, particularly the fate of Beth, which famously made Joey from ‘Friends’ put the book in the freezer to safe himself from the outcome. It is poignantly dealt with here, with a particularly touching turn from Grace Powell as Beth.
Sharnbrook Mill Theatre always utilise their intimate space well to get the most out of it, and the same is true again here, with its dual-level staging used engagingly and also an attractive main interior space with some interesting lighting. Sound is occasionally a little quiet with some of the softer moments trickier to hear, but as always it’s remarkable what they can achieve in such a small space.
All four actresses playing the March sisters give good performances, with Leila Hoch being the standout as Jo, conveying the boisterous boyishness brilliantly and really evolving the character as the years pass. Hoch has the lion’s share of the dialogue and is rarely off the stage, and she really is the driving force of the narrative and of the show as a whole. She’s well-matched by Josh Broomhead’s Laurie who gives a defined and mature performance, and their scenes together are some of the strongest in the show. Beverley Evans Matthews also shows she’s a fine character actress and really delivers the humour as housekeeper Hannah.
‘Little Women’ is a gentle but engaging look at the many ways in which the world has changed in 150 years, and also how it really hasn’t. Well-acted, warm and bittersweet, it’s a faithful and respectful treatment of one of literature’s enduring classics, and the Sharnbrook Mill Theatre have done themselves proud again with their production. Congratulations to all involved on a fantastic 2023, and the 2024 season is shaping up to be just as good, with upcoming productions of ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’, ‘Bad Girls – The Musical’, ‘The Girl On The Train’, ‘Rewired’ and ‘Elf – The Musical’. We’re looking forward to them all.
‘Little Women’ runs at the Sharnbrook Mill Theatre until Saturday 2nd December 2023
Performance runtime 2 hours 25 minutes including interval
