Little Women (Hayes) ★★★

Book by Allan Knee. Music by Jason Howland. Lyric by Mindi Dickstein. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Hayes Theatre. 12 Jul – 11 Aug, 2024.

Little Women is beloved, both the novel and the 2019 film adaptation by pre-Barbie Greta Gerwig. The new revival at the Hayes strips it back to the core with an abstract staging that puts the focus on the words and vocals.

As a celebration of strong-willed young women defying the social graces of the time, Little Women has proven to be an enduring hit, but the musical version has had a rougher ride of it. A four month Broadway run didn’t set the box office aflame, despite the presence of Sutton Foster, but over the years it’s held onto a cult following thanks to its quirky, singable score. In many ways, it’s a better concert album than a full show, which works in the favour of this Hayes production.

Shannen Alyce Quan has been a great actress in search of a suitable role for a while now. Her recent parts in shows like The Dismissal and Metropolis didn’t quite know what to do with her, and Belvoir’s Holding The Man showed she had the acting and comedic chops to do more than she was being given. A role like Jo, designed for a leading lady to step into, gives her the space required to let both her vocals and acting shine.

The full cast cut sharp, defined characters keeping each of the March sisters truly unique. Under the direction and very energetic choreography of Amy Campbell, the cast excel at highlighting the immaturity of each of the characters, which goes a long way toward smoothing out some of the quick shifts required in reducing the novel into a musical. 

Poor Vitoria Hronopoulos is stuck with Amy, one of the most annoying characters in literature, managing to make her suitably annoying and dislikable (she is genuinely one of my most loathed literary creations). Lawrence Hawkins shines as the charming but vacuous Laurie, and Emily Cascarino gives a stoic grace to Marmee despite clearly being too young for the role. The presence of Peter Carroll adds some gravitas to the young cast.

Tanwee Shrestha’s set design is a real standout for visual impact. It’s definitely not what you expect when you walk into the space and I applaud a bold choice. I’ll be honest, I don’t think it works to the show’s advantage however. In a story full of familial warmth and life, it comes across cold and inhuman. Lily Mateljan’s costumes mix the make-shift with striking silhouettes, giving the March girls quirky, individual looks but does few favours to the shorter members of the cast who look frumpy in an excess of frills.

But there are limitations to how a musical can replicate the book, and key moments underwhelm (Amy falling into the ice, for example, has very little impact) and at times the show’s book seems to simply step through the novels major moments without any thought to pacing the story out for a satisfying musical experience. It’s saved by Howland and Dickstein’s tunes which are melodic and playful. It sticks to a fairly standard musical theatre recipe, and the result is pleasing, if not exceptional music.

The real selling point here is hearing Shannen Alyce Quan belt out the big musical theatre numbers like “Astonishing” and she provides your money’s worth of vocals. As we expect all the vocals are excellent and make the most of the material. For a mediocre musical, this production pushes it to be more than it is and almost succeeds.