Little Women, first written in 1868 by Louisa May Alcott, has
had many adaptations over the years making it one of our timeless classics.
The
play by Emma Reeves opened up in the beautiful Brindley Theatre in Runcorn by
the talented Centenary Theatre Company telling
the story of the four March sisters growing up
during the American Civil War, their father a pastor is away with union troops and their
mother or ‘Marmee’ as they call her must do her best with very little money.
The staging was simplistic but very effective as the actors utilised the space well
throughout their storytelling, credit to the set design by Mike Hall and Dan Grimes.
Although
the story is set in the nineteenth century the basic factors are timeless with siblings growing up together all with their own characteristics and
personalities
that not only compliment each other but at times clash as sisters so often do. Also in the core of every family there is a loving and
doting mother who would do anything for her children with her unconditional
love.
Meg
March was played by Ria Hall the eldest of the sisters is sweet natured,
dutiful, calming and feminine. Whilst Jo March, played by Robyn Murphy, the second oldest is a tomboy,
hotheaded, blunt and most definitely unladylike in her behaviour and cursing.
Beth, played by Rachael Benfield, is shy, generous, kind and a musically gifted young
woman. Beth is the key to this family as she is the most vulnerable and
innocent spirit who gels the girls together with her captivating character. Amy, played by Maria Ames, is the baby of the family and fits the stereotype of the
spoilt youngest child, she is very egocentric, vain and looks only to her own
gains in life.
Of
course with any group of young girls growing up comes love,
sadness and troubles ahead until the passage
of time where we find our place in this world
and become the adults we are destined to be.
In this production there were some strong performers during this very
difficult script, so all credit to the Director Dan Grimes who cast brilliantly the 14 characters
involved
in this play.
It’s
clear the cast have worked extremely hard on their accents and their
interpretation of the characters they were cast in. Some minor hiccoughs when a character forgot her lines but this is forgivable in such a busy and wordy play on the first night.
The
costumes were outstanding in this production; total credit to the wardrobe department as they were perfectly authentic for the era.
Standout performances for me
personally
was Sara Worton as Mrs March who captured perfectly the essence of a caring,
loyal, loving and beautiful mother and Kit Phillips who
played Laurie Laurence who delivered a
magnificent interpretation of the loyal and love-struck friend and neighbour.
Little Women isn’t the
easiest play to deliver to a
modern audience but Dan Grimes and his team have done
themselves proud in their 2018 production of a nineteenth-century story.
Well
done to all involved, Little Women runs until the 22nd of September
at the Brindley Theatre Runcorn.
Reviewer - Victoria Wilmot
on - 18/9/18
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