A Pleasing Adaptation Little Women

This was a very pleasing adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women. It is never easy bringing a hugely popular novel to the stage, but Anne-Marie Casey does this very well indeed.

Little Women is a story filled with humour, despair and relationships intertwined with the role that women had in society when the novel was written in the mid 1800s. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood.

The cast is small yet very talented, working together on the stage with ease. The sisters are played by Freya Parks (Jo), Ainy Medina (Meg), Helen Chong (Amy), and Laura Soper (Beth). All come to the stage here with long lists of film, TV, and theatre credits, and you can see why. The 4 of them captured the hearts of the packed-out crowd, living with them through their ups and downs.

Their mother Marmie is played by Kate Hampson, and the quite hilarious Aunt March is played by Caroline Gruber. Talented Jack Ashton and Nikhil Singh Rai round up the cast.

Freya Parks was a standout character, boisterous and boyish and having a lion’s share of the stage; she was well-matched by Singh Rai as Laurie, who gives a defined and mature performance, and their scenes together are some of the strongest in the show. The scene where Beth sadly passes away is done beautifully and sensitively, and tears were seen amongst those watching.

Add some beautiful music and a simple yet effective set, and this show really was impressive. The ice-skating scene was a highlight!

Many question whether such an iconic novel can be created on stage or screen. Cast your preconceptions aside and go and enjoy this timeless tale.

Helen Chong and Nikhil Singh Rai Photo: Charlotte Graham ©

Little Women is on at York Theatre Royal is on until Saturday October 12. More details here