Emotional journey awaits in Little Women production by Gisborne’s Evolution Theatre

Final rehearsals of Little Women are now under way at Evolution Theatre ahead of opening night on Thursday. Pictured are Saeis Penny as Jo (left), Molly Muir as Amy, Lien Ruelens as Jo, Susan Partington as Marmee (seated), Emma Ruelens as Meg, Madeliene Poulter as Beth and Jess Horsfield as Hannah.

Audiences can expect an emotional journey in the upcoming play Little Women starting at Gisborne’s Evolution Theatre on Thursday, says director Charli Haskell.

The play is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s classic coming-of-age book. The American Civil War is under way and the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy - must hold the family together as Christmas draws near. The story is a timeless and sentimental testament to the endurance of family, the power of love and what it means to stay true to oneself.

Haskell says audiences can expect lots of laughter, tears and heartwarming moments.

“I’m hoping those who know the story well will recognise the beloved characters, and people unfamiliar with the story will connect with them too,” she says.

The two-act play by Kristin Laurence has an all-female cast, with the action centred on the March family home.

“While Laurence’s version does stay true to the book, her version does not tell the whole story but highlights the girls’ trials and tribulations over a year.”

In the play the March parents are philanthropists, so their wealth has gone to those in need, as does their time. The girls’ father serves as a chaplain in the Union Army during the American Civil War and, at the start of the play, the sisters are readjusting to their new lifestyle.

“While lifestyles have changed significantly, we still all need to learn how life works, to be careful where we place our values, to be grateful for what we have and to accept people who are different to ourselves,” Haskell says.

“I think the reason so many classic plays are still revered today is because their themes are timeless.”

There are many moments that relate to life now, as the sisters have to deal with issues that still affect us today.

Meg is vain and concerned with how she appears to others; Jo wants to be a boy but has to act ladylike; Beth is socially anxious; and Amy is in a bit too much of a hurry to grow up.

“These are things people still struggle with in modern times.”

The standard at the auditions was very high, so Haskell was able to double-cast the characters of Meg and Jo.

She said it was great to see the more experienced actors nurture the newer ones.

“All of the cast are holding their own on stage and bringing their characters to life beautifully.”

Written in 1868, Little Women is widely considered a masterpiece because of its universal themes that every generation can relate to. It has been made into several films, a musical, a number of TV series and there have been various play adaptations.

Now Gisborne audiences have the chance to see what makes it so great.

“Come to feel something, come to laugh and cry, and come to see the talent of people in our community,” Haskell says.

“In the words of Oscar Wilde, ‘I regard theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being’.”

• Little Women, August 15-25 at Evolution Theatre, 75 Disraeli St, Gisborne.