Review: LITTLE WOMEN Through a Real, Modern Lens at Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Real. Just as you are. Those are a couple of the key themes in Kate Hamill’s new adaptation of the classic Little Women. On stage now at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater under the direction of Marti Lyons, Little Women opens with a cozy scene: a miniature house with a smoking chimney set against sumptuous red velvet curtains.

Those curtains part to reveal an utterly charming set design by Collette Pollard. We’re welcomed into the home of the March family—and in this adaptation, we barely ever leave it. More on that in a moment. But it’s in this home that we meet Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy: four sisters coming of age in Civil War America. Jo is the unabashed aspiring writer, Meg has an eldest’s sense of responsibility, Amy a youngest’s self-centeredness, and Beth the sweetest temperament of them all.

While the March sisters, Laurie, and Marmee are all here, fans of the book by Louisa May Alcott—or any one of the 11 on-screen productions filmed between 1918 and 2019—should mentally prepare for something a little different. Hamill’s Little Women really centers on the Marches at home. In short, we never see Jo go to New York (that will tell purists something). 

That’s not to say the sisters don’t grow up in this production. They do. There are simply lots of liberties taken with the original timeline. What’s nice about Hamill’s take is that it allows for exploration of the Marches at home, and of the aforementioned themes. Perhaps you can't do it all on stage, and this production doesn't try to. 

Throughout the play, Beth asks Jo to tell her a “real” story. This adaptation fits the “real” bill with fewer happy-ending vibes than you get from other versions. Jo spends a good deal of Act Two spiraling in negativity about her place in the world—lots of moodiness, not a lot of resolution. Her feelings are valid, particularly given this script’s explorations of Jo’s gender identity and the parts we play to fit into society. This modern lens will excite and inspire many, and the sentiment throughout to “be who you are” is a beautiful one. 

One of the very best things about this production are the actors. Amelio Garcia (Jo), Cy Paolantonio (Meg), Katie Peabody (Beth), Amy (Rebecca Cort), and Marmee (Colleen Madden) are all brilliant. As Jo, Garcia is delightfully brash and devil-may-care. Paolantonio has cute interactions with love interest Mr. Brooks (Richard Nguyen Sloniker) and is especially fun to watch during the sisters’ play-within-a-play.

Peabody thoroughly embodies Beth’s gentle soul; her performance is an immense pleasure. Cort’s Amy is an easy crowd favorite, particularly in Act One. Her cartoonish, petulant humor is overt and laugh-aloud—even if the lines and delivery sometimes feel incongruous with the time period. Unfortunately, it seems Amy’s childishness is the root of her humor, for when she grows up in Act Two, that humor is largely lost. 

Marmee is played by Colleen Madden, Milwaukee Rep alum and core company member of the American Players Theatre in Spring Green. Madden is warm and wonderful as the matriarch of the March family, though I wish we saw her contribute even more to the molding of her little women. Austin Winter, another familiar face to Milwaukee Rep audiences, brings brightness and joy to the role of Laurie—though it’s hard to spot romantic chemistry between him and Jo. A purposeful choice? Perhaps. This production doesn't dwell much on romance. 

Nicely rounding out the cast are Chiké Johnson as Laurie’s grandfather, Mr. Laurence, and Macall Gordon as the March’s maid, Hannah. All actors are smartly outfitted in costumes by An-lin Dauber—costumes that convert before our eyes from demure to flirty and from pants to dresses. Lighting design by Reza Behjat with sound design and original music by Jane Shaw bring a snug ambience to the stage. 

In the end, this focused and terrifically-executed adaptation of Alcott’s Little Women will speak to and impress modern audiences. For those who grew up on Little Women, however, I wonder if it will leave you with the same warm-fuzzy feeling. As a devotee of the book and ‘94 film myself, it helped to know ahead of time that this Rep production wasn’t the full story as I’d known it (not seeing Professor Behr on the cast list tipped me off). While I understand the choices made in this production, they're not all my favorite. Some of the spirit of the original is lost. 

In short, this really is a retelling. A fresh take. As playwright Kate Hamill says in the Rep Play Guide, “It is not polite. None of the characters are good or bad. They are not always likable—and that’s particularly important for young women, the freedom to not be ‘likable’ at all times—but they are human. They are imperfect people, and it is not a perfect family.” See? This Little Women gives us the March sisters as they might have been in reality. It’s a worthy perspective and story to tell, and it’s told with love and first-rate skill by these marvelous creatives. 

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow

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