Little Women Gets a Hugely Successful Adaptation at the Guthrie Theater

Little Women has long been a favorite story of mine. I first experienced it in 1994 when I saw the film adaptation starring Winona Ryder in theaters. Since then, I’ve read the novel and seen other screen adaptations. But my only previous stage experience was the 2021 production at Artistry of Little Women: The Broadway Musical, which, frankly, was a disappointment. After that, I shied away from other stage versions, feeling that perhaps the theater just wasn’t the right venue for this story. Five years later, I decided to try again, this time with a non-musical adaptation at the Guthrie Theater. Why return? The script is by Lauren M. Gunderson, the most produced playwright in the country and the writer behind The Christmas at Pemberley trilogy, which follows characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which are a personal favorite. (I’m still waiting for some ambitious theater company to mount all three plays in rep!)

So how does Gunderson’s adaptation compare to the Broadway musical? It blows it out of the water in every conceivable way. Gunderson uses the clever narrative device of having Louisa May Alcott herself tell the story. For those unfamiliar, Little Women is largely based on Alcott’s own life and her relationship with her three sisters. When the play opens, Alcott introduces us to her family, and then to their fictional counterparts. What’s beautiful about the story is how we follow the sisters and their relationships with each other and those around them. It feels very much in the vein of Jane Austen; you develop the same attachment to the characters, their misfortunes, and their joys. This is a story that thrives not on action or mystery, but on character.

Any adaptation of Little Women will succeed or fail largely on the strength of its cast. These are beloved characters, and audiences come in not just knowing them, but loving them. The cast here is sublime, led by Isabella Star LaBlanc as Louisa and, by extension, Jo. LaBlanc brings the perfect mix of confidence and intelligence. Her Jo has mischief in her eyes and secrets just beneath the surface. The moment that crystallizes her perfect casting is the look she gives the audience just before the blackout at the end of Act I. It can’t be described, it must be seen.

It’s also great to see Stages of MN favorite Daniel Petzold as Laurie. His strongest moments come in his interactions with Louisa; he’s particularly well suited to the show’s more meta elements, as well as the older, more mature version of the character. His younger moments feel slightly forced at first, but that fades as Laurie grows. The three sisters are equally well cast: Stephanie Anne Bertumen as Meg, May Heinecke as Beth, and Audrey Parker as Amy fully embody these beloved roles. A shout-out as well to George Keller, who is excellent as Marmee and delightfully comic as Aunt March.

As with most Guthrie productions, the set looks like a million bucks. Designed by Junghyun Georgia Lee, it’s a true stunner: an open grassy clearing surrounded by woods, with pieces of furniture scattered throughout. It supports the idea that we are watching Louisa and her sisters enact the story, rather than attempting strict realism. It’s a bold choice, and it works beautifully.

Fans of Little Women owe it to themselves to see this production. Like Theatre in the Round’s production of Pride and Prejudice last fall, it makes a story from another era feel fresh, immediate, and original.

Little Women runs through June 21st at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/whats-on/little-women/

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