Review: Little Women (Richmond Theatre)
- Dan Sinclair
- Jun 4
- 4 min read
Review by Isabel Benson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has enchanted readers for over 150 years – and Loveday Ingram’s production offers an equally charming rendition, honouring the story’s enduring allure. As the crowd gathered on Richmond Green, I was struck by the sheer number of such ‘Little Women’ – a testament to the enduring magic of this beloved tale. Despite a delayed start and elongated queue, Loveday Ingram’s staging of Little Women delivered a rich, emotionally resonant night at the theatre that more than made up for lost time.
Originally premiering at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 2022 under Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman, this fresh adaptation hit the road in March 2025 at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre – and thanks to overwhelming demand, it’s now delighting audiences nationwide through to November. Ingram’s production leans confidently into the timeless themes of sisterhood, ambition, love and loss, all woven into the lives of the March sisters – Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy. Each sister is defined, and their contrasting personalities crackle onstage with energy and charm. At the heart of it all is Grace Molony’s Jo – a tour de force of determination and defiance – whose passionate outbursts and palpable longing for more than society expects of her leave the audience captivated by her every word.
One of the production’s strengths is its use of physicality to reveal character, most memorably in the ball scene, where Meg glides in with exaggerated poise in ill-fitting heels, while Jo slouches against the wall, limbs loose and wholly unimpressed. It’s a sharp visual contrast that sets the tone for their ongoing dynamic. These oppositions carry through to their love lives: Jo and Laurie (a delightfully goofy Cillian Lenaghan) bound through scenes with teasing energy, while Meg and John Brooke (a quietly endearing Jack Ashton) offer a quiet, composed romance, often hilariously upended by Jo and Laurie’s whirlwind re-entries.
Another simmering dynamic is Jo’s rivalry with youngest sister Amy (played with the sharp precision and comedic timing of Imogen Elliott). The emotional gut punch of Act 1’s infamous book-burning scene marks a dramatic peak, but their tension lingers within the backbone of the production. In Act 2, their relationship is explored through Ingram’s stagecraft. Here, the sisters exchange letters from across different worlds, gliding in and out of each other onstage as Amy lives out Jo’s abandoned dreams in Europe. And when Amy meets Laurie under the same red curtain where Jo once stood, the mirroring is almost too stark to bear. However, it was a shame to lose Amy’s hilarious “Oh, Jo! Your one beauty!” – a line that would’ve fit perfectly in Jo’s hair-cutting scene.
All these character foils – Meg and Jo, Jo and Amy, Laurie and John – do more than just mirror personalities. They give this traditional tale a renewed dimensionality, highlighting complexities in a way that feels modernised. Ingram’s direction reminds us why Little Women still resonates – not just as a coming-of-age story, but as a study of our character flairs and faults.
Other standouts were Belinda Lang’s portrayal of Aunt March and Catherine Chalk as Beth. Lang’s hilarious posh New Orleans accent offers another dimension to her luxurious dresses and wealthy background. She commanded the stage as Aunt March and never failed to rouse laughter and applause from the audience. On the other hand, Chalk’s interpretation of the gentle Beth evokes much pathos. Barely speaking at the beginning, her pre-death monologue impresses with a rare assertiveness and great acting. Cover Ellie Pawsey was sweet as ‘Marmee’ – although I would have liked to see more maternal instinct and a clearer contrast between mother and daughters.
On the flip side, the creative team did an impressive job of creating an atmosphere. As soon as the curtain comes up. We are in the Christmastime, a spectacular Christmas Tree resting stage right and winter clothes scattered across the stage furniture, making me think of my teenage bedroom. Yet, there is also unease. A mystical air hazes across the front of the stage as we hear the girls before we see them, singing an eerie rendition of the Civil War march Glory, Glory Hallelujah. Whether or not this sense of foreboding is appropriate to the rest of the production is unclear, but it is undoubtedly atmospheric. Music is woven into the story with consistency. Almost at every scene change, we are graced with a folk choral rendition from the whole cast or a solo moment which blossoms into a full chorus. Perhaps this becomes slightly monotonous towards the end, but it does well to split up the action.
A visual standout was the wardrobe change between Acts 1 and 2. Namely, Jo’s new life is signified by a striking transition from her ‘scorched’ blue frock to a more personalised skirt suit – perhaps an emblem of her electing her new life as a woman, which is fitting in the context of her marital status by the end of the play. Another standout moment is Beth’s white dress, which she is placed in before her death. As she disappears slowly out of Jo’s reach, her pale complexion melts against the snowy background in a way which eases us into her death – a transcendental rather than a bitter end.
All in all, this Little Women doesn’t just tug at the heartstrings – it plays them like a symphony. Balancing laugh-out-loud moments with aching pathos, it invites you into a world that’s both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to the March family, one thing’s for certain: you'll walk away feeling like one of the sisters.
Little Women is running at the Richmond Theatre until 7th June before heading onto the Leeds Grand Theatre and Plymouth Theatre Royal.
Photos by Nobby Clark