Review: LOUISA MAY ALCOTT'S LITTLE WOMEN at Loretto-Hilton Center

To open its 60th season, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis went old school. Their production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is filled with the uncertainty of the times and laced with the ambition of its characters.

The Rep’s sterling production meshes the events of the pioneering novel with real-life events from Alcott’s life.  The result is a compelling story-within-a-story narrative that brings the writer and her characters to life.

Adapted by Lauren Gunderson, this rendering of the story allows each sister to have her own moments. This enables director Delaney Piggens (who also serves as The Rep’s Associate Artistic Director) to sculpt them in fresh ways. From there, a talented ensemble takes the reins, giving audiences a poignant theatrical experience.

Placing the author inside her own narrative, the play chronicles the four March sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, who face the tumult of life in Massachusetts during the Civil War. Each sister has a distinctive personality, and all of them are spirited and independent. Growing up in a loving, modest home, they endure a slew of social expectations and face the challenges of womanhood of the era.

The spirit of their home revolves around Jo, a firebrand whose passion for writing drives her. Joined by her mother and siblings, each of whom has their own hopes and dreams, the family is filled with support, kindness, and enthusiasm.

Despite being poor, the March’s dream big as each sibling pursues her own future. Meg embraces the domestic life, Amy pursues life as an artist, and the frail Beth, who simply wants to be well again.

Living in a home filled with chaos, Jo perseveres as a writer. Using her life as a source for stories, she is delighted to learn that she will be published. This news thrills her family and her best friend Laurie.

With her first story published, Jo sees her career trajectory swing upward as demand for her work continues. The success keeps Jo busy and makes her even more resistant to the feelings of Laurie who is in love with her. Kind, rich, and decent, he would be the perfect suitor for any woman. Yet, his advances are constantly rebuffed.  

As the drama unfolds, the March’s stick together during periods of crushing despair and elegiac delights. Jo’s continued success finds her feeling tied down, forcing her to finally spread her wings. Heading off to New York, her life changes forever. Staying behind, Meg marries and raises a family while Amy scurries off to Europe with her aunt. Although each of these events has individual consequences, the bond of sisterhood never wavers.

While the first act is cheerful, the second is more intense as the family faces periods of grief, anger, love, and hope. Facing adversity with an unflinching sense of togetherness, the family perseveres, especially Jo, who becomes an author whose work never goes out of print.

Poignant from start to finish, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is guided by Piggins’ confident hand. Getting the best from everyone around her. she is methodical in bringing the book to the stage.  

She scores especially high marks for utilizing Scenic Designer Ann Beyersdorfer’s spacious sets to let her cast roam freely in contrast to the play’s setting, a time when women were restricted culturally and socially.

While the entire ensemble is excellent, Little Women is really all about Andrea San Miguel, who shines as Louisa and Jo. Starring as a character who battles publishers, her best friend, her suitor, and her family. Her return to the Rep stage finds San Miguel giving a performance filled with pathos, hope, and independence.

Acting alongside her in scenes that are both intimate and intense is Jack Lancaster as Laurie. His company debut as the March’s lovestruck neighbor gives the production a gentle breeze.  Lancaster’s scenes make his character emotional and genteel without falling into lovesick puppy territory.

Also debuting with the Rep is the outstanding Marcia Pizzo. Starring as both the loving and sweet Marmee and the stuffy and haughty Aunt March, she gives audiences an intriguing dualism to watch onstage. Playing Marmee, the glue of the family, Pizzo elicits a sense of calm as the maelstrom of war and domesticity swirls around her.

Below the veneer of a young woman’s struggles with the loneliness of life as a writer is something brighter: a story of community, love, sisterhood, and the power of ideas. These themes proliferate throughout The Rep’s phenomenal production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

The perfect aperitif for the company’s season, the play boasts an incredible cast, amazing costumes, and plenty of emotional heft. Set during a time of extreme political darkness, the theatrical gravitas derived from Alcott’s novel once again reminds us of the potency of words, connection, and togetherness.

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