Little women review

Me, to Madeline (my 7-year-old), after the show last night: “What did you like about Little Women?”
 
Madeline: “Basically, the whole thing.”

Yep, me too.

I need to provide some full, robust disclosure right off the bat: Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” was one of my favorite books growing up. “Little Women” was one of my favorite movies as a tween (Christian Bale = Laurie = swoon). And Stolen Shakespeare Guild is one of my favorite places to perform as an actor. And make it a date with my own little woman? A Christmas miracle!

And it really is. I had never really thought of “Little Women” as a Christmas show before, but few stories come close to capturing the comforts of hearth and home and the nostalgia of the-years-falling-away-like-snowflakes quite like this one. The show opens during the Christmas season, when the March sisters are fully aware both of their increasing poverty and of the even deeper poverty of their neighbors. Each of the sisters is introduced by turn in Emma Reeves’ cogent adaptation, and we are quickly drawn to the second-oldest sister Jo (played by Madeline Ruth Pickens), whose story this ultimately becomes. Pickens plays her with all of the natural, playful freedom that a willful and unconformist Jo should embody. Marmie, played by the dear Lisa Fairchild, draws such a lovely contrast as the gentle mother wholly capable of both embracing and tempering each of her daughters’ particular personalities. (Side note: Lisa once played my mother figure in SSG’s “Persuasion,” so I left last night feeling   like a March sister myself. Weird.)
 
One of the loveliest (can I use that word again?) relationships we enjoy throughout is between Jo and younger sister Beth, the shy, soft-spoken wisp of a girl with no particular aspirations of her own. Samantha Snow was ethereal, understated, and completely well cast. As are Laura Smith (a warm, likeable Meg), and Emmie Gelat (a very funny, endearing Amy).
 
Here’s what you’re going to like about the show: it is very true to the spirit of the book. It was, well, so Little Women-ish, down to Amy’s horrified exclamation upon realizing Jo has chopped her hair: “Oh, Jo! How could you? Your one beauty!” The script doesn’t swerve into too much sentimentalism; it retains its humor and the natural ebb and flow of sisterly relationships, and when things get bleak or downright tragic, those moments are played with a fortitude and sincerity that reminds us why this story is so enduring: a family is always changing, but it never has to lose hope. It never has to lose love. Hope and love take on different colors in different seasons. They shape-shift, but they never go away.
 
Here’s what else we love about “Little Women”: the idea that even a misfit can find her way. This is Jo’s triumph, one she shares with any of us who have ever felt not-enough or too-much of something. SSG does a nice job bringing this out and setting it center-stage. More kudos to Madeline Ruth Pickens, who was, in the most important ways, a consummate Jo March.
 
SSG’s production features the gorgeous Civil War-era costumes, lush work regulars have come to expect from Lauren Morgan and her team. The set is expansive and made to work well as various locations. The pacing is good, as is the use of music and singing for effective transition moments. Standout Christian Teague, a Dallas Opera-ite, shares his talents as both singer and actor as Professor Bhaer. Veteran Cynthia Matthews is also a welcome presence as the feisty, imperial Aunt March whose machinations are equally funny and infuriating.
 
Christmas is a wonderful time to be staging this adaptation. In a season that can bring stress and remind us of loss, “Little Women” raises us high to see the life of a family from above, over the course of years, fighting to stay connected and at peace in a time of war and uncertainty. It’s worth bringing all your little women (and men) to see.

For more reviews and older musings, click here.