Little Women
Swan Theatre Amateur Company,
Swan Theatre, Worcester
****
Maybe
it’s because the popular novel by American author Louisa May Alcott has
been eroded by the many film and TV versions over the years, but it’s
hard not glaze over when someone mentions the title of Little Women.
With so many
versions framing the story as a cute romance or period drama the real
tragedy of the March family has been lost.
There is though a great wealth of commentary on
duty, family love, and social gratitude and fortunately this version
directed by Curtis Fulcher goes a long way to developing those issues in
a more realistic way.
The story details principally the lives of four
sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Set at the time of the American Civil
war the sisters are now left alone with their mother and nanny after
their father, in his retirement years, has enlisted as a minister to
help the war effort.
The first act spends most of its time developing
the characters and the war seems a long way off with the girls wanting
for nothing and dreaming of society balls, theatre outings and romance.
In the second act the bitter overtones of real
life begin to have an impact. While there is still an air of decorum
and good breeding, things take a turn for the worse. The father is taken
seriously ill still away from home, money becomes scarce, there is death
and illness through scarlet fever and sibling rivalry spills over into
vandalistic spite.
The original story is based on Alcott’s own
sisters and perhaps Jo the aspiring writer,
 here
played by Emily Catherine with great deal of spirit is modelled on
Alcott herself. Jo is an independent soul, a blossoming writer and
prepared to do anything to serve and support her sick father even
cutting off and selling her treasured locks to help her mother attend to
him on his sickbed.
Poppy Cooksey-Heyfron, Emily Catherine, Janet Bright,
Nicola Theron, Jane Wootton, Samantha O’Byrne
Meg played by Nicola Theron is the young upright
society lady, yet forceful enough to realise wealth and money are not
the reasons to marry. Her eventual suitor is Mr Brooke played by Andrew
Bowden, and even though poor his noble qualities and care of her father
are the reasons for her growing love for him.
The fiery Amy played by Poppy Cooksey-Heyfron is
a ball of energy and possesses a streak of jealously for her older
sisters’ accomplishments. Her scenes with Nicholas Snowdon, who nicely
captured the friendly and generous neighbor Laurie, were some of the
most effective. Last of the sisters is Beth played demurely by Samantha
O’Byrne. Beth is the meekest of the four and yet is the one who faces
possible death through contracting scarlet fever.
Completing the household are the mother Mrs
March, Marmee, played by Janet Bright and the Nanny Hannah, Jane Wooton,
who both show a strong sense of duty and domesticity yet all played with
a feminine guile. Bright, incidentally, played Jo when STAC last staged
the play in 1996.
Michele Whitfield was Aunt March the overbearing
and feared relative whose `old money ways’ come into question.
The men obviously are very much in a support role
in this play but a mention has to go to Frank Welbourne as the elderly
neighbour Mr Laurence who himself has faced personal tragedy. Then
finally Tony Childs as the recovered Mr March, arriving home in time for
the Christmas festivities.
Itu’s a delightful ensemble performance and the
play highlights a time when family values were simpler. Amusingly the
two younger girls Amy and Beth are coaxed into an early evening bedtime
by their mother with the promise of just cookies and milk.
It’s easy to dismiss elements like that as
laughable and view this story as being to quaint for a modern audience.
However, it is still a highly enjoyable performance highlighting that
duty and support of each other at times of crisis are still highly
valuable qualities to possess.
The play was performed on an impressive set and
featured some nice costumes many made by director himself. When you get
past opening scenes of ` feverish girlish joy’ you enter a tale of an
old world family affair that will make you hanker for some of the
simpler qualities of gratitude that we seem to nowadays have lost.
To 20-02-16.
Jeff Grant
17-02-16
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