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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
TV sitcoms insert laugh tracks into their half-hour "joke machines." And most movie jokes seem merely half-hearted and ironic these days. But in playwright Lauren Gunderson's rapid-fire telling of Alcott's classic novel, laughter (and a few tears) shoot up into a powerful new tree of life under the ringing direction of Delaney Piggins. Attitudes, proudly struck, are mown down again and again as the March sisters discover a new world in every introspective moment. And after the two and a half hour show, the opening night audience quickly rose to its feet for a sustained ovation. Gunderson's lovingly detailed comedy premiered at the Northlight Theatre in 2024, when that group was staging shows in Skokie, Illinois before moving back to Evanston this year. Bursting with heartfelt laughter, this adaptation centers on the characters from Alcott's mad coming of age novel, originally published in two parts between 1868 and 1869, about a budding young author and her three siblings. The action in the Rep production is non-stop, as Jo (Andrea San Miguel) balances an outspoken nature with the needs of her family and neighbors, but just as often speaks in the deep-focused voice of Louisa May Alcott herself. Each flurry of dynamic characters crosses the stage as naturally as the wind. And when the March sisters all go rushing across Ann Beyersdorfer's 1860s set at once, it's like entire seasons are passing before our eyes. Ms. San Miguel was a wacky firestorm in last year's The Cottage on this same stage in suburban Webster Groves. But here her mind goes in fifteen different directions at once as the unknown young writer, in a performance that seems to have a million different articulations of mind and spirit. Soon a kind of magic seizes the air when the girls' mother (warm Marcia Pizzo as Marmee) announces plans for a Christmas morning that will change the course of all their lives. Jack Lancaster is delightful as the boy next door, Laurie, who finds a kindred spirit in the future novelist (the literary critic Sarah Elbert says that, in Jo Marsh, Alcott invented the "all-American girl" genre). And Jo's sisters are each as distinct as she. Kristen Lintvedt is Beth, who loves music and the songs of the birds in Concord, Massachusetts, but gradually breaks our hearts in act two. Amira Danan plays Meg, who gets a very compelling monologue about the exhausting work of being a young homemaker in the 19th century. And Addison Foote grows tremendously through the story as the youngest daughter Amy. There are fast-paced, throwaway little gags sprinkled all along the way, as when the two older daughters think they have to protect each other from the unwelcome attentions of men. And there are maddening moments, at least three of them, where all the girls are squawking all at once, in a chorus that Marmee seems to have grown used to. There's a hidden geometry embedded in Ms. Piggins' direction, as if they all pull together whenever the bonds of sisterhood are breached from any angle. In those moments it's like the girls were enmeshed in yarn or ribbons, and could only change position if all the other siblings agreed on some new formation on the stage. Ms. Gunderson has penned nearly three dozen plays, and I've only seen about six of them. But this one's easily my favorite, owing to the complexity of the writing and the exceeding attention to detail shown by this director and cast. Adam Poss plays a couple of roles on stage, solid and magnetic as a tutor to Laurie, and later quite memorable as an older, visiting professor. There are really hardly any special effects in the whole show, except for what's created by the performers themselves: especially in the devotion the girls inspire in others; their endless authenticity and curiosity about the world; and their ability to see themselves more clearly, to our amusement. Now and then things go horribly wrong, and people of good will get hurt by those similarly inclined toward righteousness. There are vengeful stunts, and there is painful sacrifice. But a kind of simple trust in the world they inhabit stretches and presses them all into new circles of connection and beauty. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, produced by The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, runs through September 27, 2026, at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Rd., St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.repstl.org. Cast: Production Staff: Additional Production Staff: * Denotes Member, Actors' Equity Association ** Denotes Member, USA-829 2026-27 Season Staff Lighting & Sound Supervisor: Jonathan Scully Box Office Representatives: Michael Dorn, Michelle Daugherty, Julie George, Carl Wickman Director of Development: Kimberly Ann Larson Director of Marketing: Christian Wargo |
