Sierra Madre Playhouse gives students from the California School Of The Arts-San Gabriel Valley the chance to perform with experienced adult actors in Louisa Mae Alcott’s beloved American classic Little Women.

Written in 19th-century language that does not fall trippingly off the tongues of 2019 teens, unfolding in a single location, and squeezed rather awkwardly into just four afternoons in the March sisters’ lives, Christian Lebano’s new adaptation will be best enjoyed by those already familiar with the March quartet and the mom they call Marmee.

There’s family beauty Meg (Aaliyah Brathwaite), who falls for tutor John Brooke (Dan Hazel); dreamer Beth (Julianna Riley), who wishes nothing more than her sisters’ happiness; overlooked Amy (Samantha Lebedev), who’s perpetually in a pout; and above all Alcott stand-in Jo (Jileah Channels), who eschews dreams of love and marriage–take that, smitten boy-next-door Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence (Sullivan Braun)–to pursue a writer’s life.

Unfortunately, by having these characters only talk about events instead of actually showing them, this latest Little Women falls flat (at least compared to Gillian Armstrong’s magnificent 1994 film adaptation or Broadway’s enchanting Little Women The Musical), and though the decision to adapt only the first half of Little Women as we now know it may make sense with a cast not yet of age to play the sisters in their older years, it means no wedding for Meg, no New York adventures for Jo, no trip to Europe for Amy, and no death for Beth.

What we get, instead, is a single year during which not all that much transpires, or at least not on stage.

Marmee (Andrea Stradling) pops in from time to time to offer words of motherly wisdom and comfort (and to flash her black stockings rather more often than any 1860s wife and mother would); Laurie pops in from time to time to perk things up with his curly-haired boyish pep; haughty Aunt March (Alison Kalmus) pops in from time to time to carp about this, that, or the other thing; and Irish servant Hannah (Roxanne Barker) pops in from time to time to dust and cluck.

English visitor Kate Vaughn (Aria Tomar) pops in too (though only once), presumably to give a sixth CSArts-SGV student a chance to tread the boards and not because audience are expecting this decidedly minor character in Alcott’s novel to pop in.

Under Lebano’s direction, the “Orchard Cast*” play their roles with abundant enthusiasm, Braun’s chipper Laurey proving by far the evening’s student standout. Still, it wouldn’t hurt if some the March sisters took a diction lesson from the always marvelous Stradling’s warmhearted Marmee to ensure that lines don’t get garbled as they often do.

Hazel’s appropriately handsome John Brooke and Kalmus’s amusingly grouchy Aunt March seem positively British by comparison while Sierra Madre Playhouse treasure Barker makes the very most of salt-and-vinegar Hannah’s all too brief appearances in addition to providing the evening’s most touching moment.

Best of all, Little Women showcases scenic designer Nicholas Acciani and properties designer Pomaikaikealoha Nakoa’s meticulously appointed living-room set, Shon LeBlanc’s Civil War-era costumes, Derek Jones’ vibrant, varied lighting, Diahann McCrary’s period hair and makeup design, and Barry Schwam’s expert sound design.

Little Women is produced by Estelle Campbell, Lebano, and CSArts-SGV. Tessa Auberjonois is speech and dialect coach. Sean Paxton is music coach and pianist. Christa Blackstrom is dramaturg.

KC Read-Fisher is stage manager assisted by Summerlyn Williams and Fernanda Beverido. Owen Lewis is production manager and Todd McGraw is technical director.

I can only imagine how thrilling it must be for the students of California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley to be afforded the opportunity play with the pros in Louisa Alcott’s Little Women, an excitement clearly shared by their parents, family, and friends on Opening Night. Those not related to the cast may find themselves somewhat less thrilled.

*”Orchard Cast” members Braun, Brathwaite, Channels, Lebedev, Riley, and Tomar alternate performances with “Hillside Cast” Annika Bolton, Simone Link, Marylou Martinez, Jacob David McNulty, Luca Nicoletti, and Sasha Stula.

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre.
www.sierramadreplayhouse.org

–Steven Stanley
October 17, 2019
Photos: Gina Long

Tags: Christian Lebano, Los Angeles Theater Review, Louisa May Alcott, Sierra Madre Playhouse