Little Women: The Musical at The Little Theatre Leicester Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Nigel Chester

The Little Theatre is in the heart of Leicester City centre on Dover St, a quiet side street, but only seconds away from Granby St, where cafes bars and restaurants abound, for pre or post theatre refreshments.

There is ample parking close to the theatre, how close? you ask. We could see our car from the theatre main entrance.

My wife and I were attending the Little Theatre for the first time and were unsure what to expect from this small, mainly volunteer run theatre. We were more than pleased with what we found. On entering, the front of house staff were welcoming and professional and after a pre-show drink in the well stocked bar, we made our way to the auditorium.

As we settled into our seats, we took the opportunity to read the programme, which is full of information on the production, cast and crew, as well as details about the Little Theatre itself.

There is also a biography by Erin Blakemore on how Louisa May Alcott’s real life family inspired Little Women. First published in 1868, the very year that the typewriter was patented. We were wondering how a story written so long ago, set in civil war America, would translate today, would it be a world we could relate to. The answer is a simple yes, absolutely.

This is a tale of family, of love and discord: of a mother and her aunt (by marriage) trying to shape four very different girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, to fit the social norms of the day – all relevant today.

The play opens in Mrs Kirks New York boarding house in 1865. We know this as, very cleverly, the staging which was superb, allowed the projection of information on time and place to the audience. I loved the fact that sometimes the backdrop was bookshelves or just wallpaper patterns of the day.

Jo March, played by Danielle Sanders, burst onto the stage as she was being called by a gentleman we later learn to be Professor Bhaer (Keiran Whelan-Newby) who hand her a letter, one of rejection from a publisher, we quickly understand that it is not her first. Jo tells the Professor of her storyline but this isn’t a simple tale but is acted out with the characters coming alive and mirroring her movements behind her. This was mesmerising, it is obvious that Jo has passion and imagination by the bucket load. She is treating the Professor to a performance worthy of any stage but luckily for us, tonight it was our stage.

We then slip back to Christmas the year before and the family home in Concord, Massachusetts, where we meet Jo’s family and other important characters. The sisters are, Meg (Rose Bale), Beth (Katie Draper) and Amy (Kathrine Wadd), it is clear that there is an emergent unity, the sisters are a force to be reckoned with and it is their mothers job to try and tame them, however, Aunt March holds the purse strings and her role will alter lives.

The story moves on apace and individual songs tell us so much, the live orchestra, which was unfortunately not visible to the audience, were sublime and musical director Grace Bale should be very proud of the achievements of the night.

Whilst the performance was described as an ‘amateur production’, I felt that the standard was overwhelmingly professional. We thought we were going to a little theatre to see a little production; we found ourselves in a small theatre with a very big heart.

The costumes (Leicester Drama Society and Loft Costumes) were perfect. They showed the genteel poverty that the family were living in, Jo went to the Valentines Ball wearing a dress with a patch on the back. Her neighbour’s grandson, Laurie (Tim Stokes) was gracious, telling her that every girl in Concord would want one by next year. It was plain to us that Laurie adored Jo but she saw him as a brother “one of us”.

This is musical theatre, something that we both love. The music of Jason Howland with lyrics by Mindi Dickstein are fabulous and we will be finding the songs to play again. For us, the stand out voice of the night was Tony Whitmore as Mr Laurence when he duetted with Beth. Shivers went down my spine; such a bitter sweet moment.

How, in just a few short hours we could go on such a journey, a true coming of age tale. Some of the children grew up faster than others but eventually they all do, which is somehow inevitable, but to see it on the stage of The Little Theatre, with its amazing staging, lighting, costumes and performances is a pleasure that we will long remember.

Rating: 5/5

Little Women is on until 20th September with tickets priced between £19 – £20 with a variety of accessible options available.

For more information or to book tickets, visit thelittletheatre.co.uk