Louisa Alcott’s endearing eighteenth century novel has kept the attention of many readers for more than 150 years, as well as audiences who’ve flocked to see the dozens of films, animations and musicals versions of the novel. So seeing Anne-Marie Casey’s adaptation staged in one of London’s most beautiful classical theatre venues in Richmond seems a fitting place to comfortably enjoy an evening’s entertainment.
The production starts off with a Christmas vibe, with the happy March sisters enjoying family time with their mother and never forgetting the absence of their father, who’s engaged as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War. The actors swirl around the furniture that forms a simple and effective set that depicts the rooms of their house set against the backdrop of pine trees. It recreates a homeliness and safety reminiscent of childhood and an age when everything seemed more innocent.
There are the four daughters: Meg played by Jade Kennedy, Jo played by Grace Molony, Beth played by Catherine Chalk and Amy played by Imogen Elliott and their mother, whom they refer to as Marmee, played by Honeysuckle Weeks. Members of this quintet are all relatable and ooze an earthiness that’s often associated with a bygone age as they enjoy the warmth generated by humans who relish in the simplicity of each other’s company without the props and distractions resulting from technology and the demands of a fast-paced existence.
Their bubble is punctured by the interruption of their wealthy neighbour Laurie, played by Cillian Lenaghan, and his tutor John Brooke, played by Jack Ashton, whose lives become intertwined with those of the March family and who are acted particularly well. Then there’s great-aunt March played by Belinda Lang, who is as rich as she is ridiculous but whose personality isn’t as convincing on stage as it could be.
There are lots of gymnastics, especially involving the tomboy Jo playing fighting with Laurie and a general energy that depicts people whose outlook is one of a glass half full and of a life that will be once the war is over and times becomes less frugal. Molony’s performance is very strong, capturing the independent spirit and vulnerability of Jo March in a way that feels natural and rooted in her reality.
And the performances as a whole are versatile, with actors such as Jack Ashton playing both Brooke and Bhaer and Cillian Lenaghan’s Laurie, who goes from the robust young man full of hope to a near wastrel when he faces rejection from the woman he most wants.
It’s all done with care and sensitivity, as are the costumes they don that are aptly of the era without drawing attention to the time in which they’re set, which helps in giving the staging a current relevance, while there could arguably be more creative ways to bring in characters who have passed through the March family storyline and their cohort, such as the good and tragic sister Beth whose loss would have consistently preyed on the mind of Jo who was deeply fond of her. And the end itself could perhaps have swept and summed up the thrust of the narrative more effectively to give the audience a more satisfying conclusion.
But overall, this production, that’s directed by Loveday Ingram, is wholesome without being earnest, and one that’s devoid of manipulation or an obvious agenda, which provides an antidote to much of what’s on offer today. The production goes to Leeds, Plymouth and elsewhere in the autumn so it is worth trying to catch.