The musical version of Louisa May Alcott’s much loved novel, Little Women, has arrived at the Hayes with an accomplished cast in a production brimming with touches of genuine charm and theatrical whimsy.Â
The original novel is much revered as an early feminist statement, despite its style containing elements of children’s fiction and romantic fantasy, which are indeed referenced in the structure of this musical. But the challenge for reinterpreting any famous work is that the writers have the extreme difficulty of writing for two separate audiences. One comprising viewers who know the work and already have fully formed impressions of the characters and the other made up of newcomers watching the story for the first time. And so structural decisions become a trade-off between what needs to be shown and what can be presumed to be already known about each character.  Â
Curiously in this musical version, the central female characters have become somewhat two dimensional, each presenting as somewhat of a trope – the vain pretty one, the clever independent one, the calm wise one, the mean old aunt, etc. That is frequently the struggle when condensing a novel into a couple of hours stage time. And the performers do well with what they’ve been given, but the musical itself walks a treacherous path and unless handled with a very sensitive touch can occasionally render the sisters as somewhat unlikeable, distancing us from engaging with their stories.
Shannen Alyce Quan offers up a suitably feisty and energetic Jo March, but her rejection of Laurie’s open-hearted proposal is so violently cruel as to seriously jeopardise any sympathy or support we may have for her personal quest for individual fulfillment. While we want to champion her independence, the character becomes simply unkind and self-absorbed and that is a tough place to start an Act One finale.
The other sisters are also delivered convincingly within the limitations of the writing and Emily Cascarino as Marmee has some of the best songs, which she delivers with real heart. Tisha Kelemen makes a wonderful meal of Aunt March, landing some of the sharpest one liners of the show.
Equally curious in a work the focus of which is the central female relationships, is how completely angelic the male characters are realised. Each is a uniformly kind, supportive, honest and good man, and all are incomprehensibly besotted with these rather challenging sisters, showering them with gifts, love and shy proposals. And the actors playing these beacons of hope do a very fine job of it indeed.
It’s always a delight seeing the simple truth of Peter Carroll’s work, and Lawrence Hawkins as Laurie is utterly charming. Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward is a lovely goofy Mr Brooke and Tyran Stig’s Professor Bhaer is unquestionably the highlight of the evening – awkward yet touching, comic, yet heartwarming.
And although he is admittedly completely lovable, the story’s premise that ‘all you have to do is find the right guy’ still somewhat rankles in a modern feminist discourse. But the novel comes from a different time, and I guess that’s Alcott’s prerogative.
Jarrad Payne’s sound design is worth a special mention. The Hayes is a challenging space to manage, and every word is crystal clear, beautifully balanced against Gianna Cheung’s expert musical direction to create a vocal balance that is by the far the best I have ever heard in the space. There are some lovely voices in this show and Cheung makes the most of them.
There are, however, some directorial and design choices, that feel a little too choreographed and grafted on. The costuming, while creative in concept, becomes more a game of “spot the bedspread” than revealing or supporting character, and it takes a long time to discover the possible inspiration for the stylised lines of the sharply contemporary set. The overall design statement, as a consequence, becomes rather distracting and incoherent.
Read: Exhibition review: Paula Irene Payne, Logan Art Gallery
But there is nevertheless some lovely staged visual moments and the aforementioned touches of whimsy, that draw smiles and gasps of joy at key points of the story. There is a theatricality to the production, which is its best strength, and it is musically strong. If you are a fan of the book – and I suspect that will help – then you’ll no doubt love seeing this family sharing their lives with you again, albeit abridged into this new musical format.
Little Women presented by Joshua Robson Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co
Hayes Theatre, Sydney
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Book: Allan Knee
Music: Jason Howland
Lyrics: Mindi Dickstein
Director/ Choreographer: Amy Campbell
Music Supervisor: Laura Tipoki
Music Director: Gianna Cheung
Assistant Director: Miranda Middleton
Assistant Choreographer: Amy Zhang
Casting Director: Rhys Velasquez
Set Designer: Tanwee Shrestha
Costume Designer: Lily Mateljan
Lighting Designer: Peter Rubie
Lighting Associate: Lyndon Buckley
Sound Designer: Jarrad Payne
Sound Engineer: Emma-Jade Dwyer
Cast: Shannen Alyce Quan, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Molly Bugeja, Vitoria Hronopolous,
Emily Cascarino, Tisha Kelemen, Peter Carroll, Tyran Stig, Lawrence Hawkins, Maddy Betts, Kurt Russo, Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward
Tickets $79-$85
Little Women will be performed until 11 August 2024.
