This week sees Louisa May Alcott's classic tale, Little Women, visit Coventry's Belgrade Theatre, in a new adaptation by Anna-Marie Casey. Charming and witty, the play invites its audience to see the four March sisters grow up together, in the warmth of their family home.

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the play - under Loveday Ingram’s direction - never loses sight of that conflict, which overshadows daily life. The majority of men in the community have left to join the war effort, meaning that life at home is bittersweet. This is embodied by the snatches of music which punctuate the play, courtesy of composer and sound designer Mathew Bugg. The whole cast sings together throughout, in companionable harmony, giving the impression that the March family thrives on music and good cheer, even in the more melancholy moments. 

Grace Malony plays headstrong Jo March - the self assured writer, still tentatively finding her way. Eldest sister Meg (Jade Kennedy) and younger Beth (Catherine Chalk) live their lives embedded in the family home, while Jo and Amy (Imogen Elliott) venture out, in evidently different ways. Jo and Amy's transformation from bickering children into opposing adults is wonderful to watch, and both Malony and Elliott bring real intelligence and strength to their respective roles.

In fact, the cast as a whole do a great job of giving depth to the assembled characters. The parental generation are represented by the girls’ Marmee (Honeysuckle Weeks) - who is kind and compassionate while clearly wracked with worry for her absent husband and her children - and Aunt March, played by Belinda Lang. Lang lit up the stage whenever she stepped onto it, drawing laughs from the audience in almost every scene, through Aunt March’s snobbery and restrained outrageousness. Jack Ashton plays Brooke and Bhaer and Cillian Lenaghan plays Laurie, rounding out the company.

With a relatively small number of people on stage, the production feels cozy and intimate, helped by the set (designed by Ruari Murchison) and lighting (Mike Roberston). Slender birch trees fringe the stage, and there are no walls, but the visual design still emphasizes the safety and homelyness of the March household. 

There's a lot of text to get through, which occasionally gives the production slightly jumpy pacing - as the year swings around to Christmas again, and the characters grow up. Overall, however, this is a gentle, charming and lively production - fans of Louisa May Alcott’s best known work will surely be delighted to see their beloved characters brought to life on stage.

Four Stars

Little Women was reviewed on Thursday 20 March by Jessica Clixby at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, where it shows until Saturday 22 March.