Hotbuckle write, adapt, compose and produce all of their own work, employing excellent actors to perform to the highest standard, classic stories for audiences in both urban and rural communities throughout the UK and Ireland
".....virtuoso performances by four outstanding actors.......with clever introduction of humour......in this so very well crafted production."
The Down Recorder - Wuthering Heights
Little Women Reviews
Chris Eldon Lee reviews Hotbuckle Theatre's “Little Women” which is touring the British Isles, including Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn on June 23rd and 24th.
As ever, it's 'how they do it' that makes Hotbuckle productions so memorable … and this latest show is one of their most memorable yet.
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Adrian Preater's stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic American novel is a labour of love. Endlessly popular and charming as it is, her 700+ page novel doesn't half ramble. It's episodic. There are rather more central characters than a modern book would afford houseroom to. And there are a fair few sidelines that are not exactly expendable. Yet, wielding the finest of tooth combs, Adrian has cut through to to the core of what people love most about the book. It's all there … distilled down to a little over two hours … with no omissions of note.
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The fact that he is writing for a cast of just three actors (all female – naturally!) made his endeavours even more demanding. A writer might be tempted to leave the logistics to the director to sort out. But in this pocket production company, that's him too. So it really was the matter of 'how they do it' that left the Aberdovey audience (and this reviewer) so entranced.
Arriving on stage in white blouses and full length skirts, Joanna Purslow, Gemma Aston and MaryAnna Kelly bring dozens of vivid women to life in startlingly quick succession. And with a twist of the wrist, they whip off their skirts (where would Hotbuckle be without Velcro?) to reveal black trousers. So they can play all the gents too.
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The choreography of character change leaves one breathless. It's clearly immaculately devised and rehearsed … but baffling! For example, all three women play the mother, passing her shawl from one to the other – even mid-sentence. Joanna and MaryAnna cross their legs in a masculine manner to alternately play 'Laurie' as he woos Gemma's 'Jo'. The other March sisters seem to be portrayed by whoever happens to be available. Yet, tiny, subtle mannerisms and a change of costume accessories never leave you in any doubt who is who. The cleverness of all this amplifies the enjoyment.
Versatility is vital and all three actors are exceptional. It's good to see Joanna once more (in her seventh season with Hotbuckle) giving Marmee a fine sense of loving authority as she lets her girls discover their independence. Her portrayal of the stiff-legged Germanic 'Professor Bhaer' - with his embarrassed greetings - is a delightful cameo. Gemma Aston has been away from the stage for far too long and assumes the role of 'Jo' with a nicely measured and deeply affectionate enthusiasm. Steeped in the jocular tradition of Oddsocks Theatre Company, her sense of comedy is superb … particularly when playing the family's potty parrot. New recruit MaryAnna is tall and elegant and very graceful as Amy and delicately vulnerable as the ailing Beth. She also shines as the loyal suitor John Brook. All their American accents are spot on. But whose is real?
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The set pieces are beautifully executed. Amy falling through the ice is a heart-stopping moment of jeopardy. The Christmas play and the Pickwick Club afford the cast a chance to ham it up a little. Beth's death is handled with respectful restraint. The production is never short of delightful.
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'Little Women' is has been having something of a renaissance recently. There have been film adaptations featuring Holywood stars and another touring version boasting an RSC director and television stars. But Hotbuckle's intimate, pin-point production must be a match for them all. It's engaging, enthralling and highly entertaining. And with 41 dates in the diary, there's a good chance it will be coming your way.
Little Women by Hotbuckle Productions Riverhouse Barn 2nd and 3rd May 2025
Review by David Rowan
A visit to Riverhouse Barn from Hotbuckle is always met with excited anticipation. Under director and playwright Adrian Preater’s stewardship the company specialise in adapting classic novels for the stage with a small, incredibly versatile casts.
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Louisa May Allcott’s Little Women is the latest play to receive the Hotbuckle treatment and it didn’t disappoint. Set in the 1860s the story is a coming-of-age tale of the four March sisters, Amy, Jo, Meg and Beth. Their father is away serving as a Pastor in the Civil War and we follow the trials and tribulations of the sister as the grow from girls into young women.
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A cast of three play all the characters, effortlessly often turning from a sister into the girls’ Mother (Marmee) or their beloved 4th sister Beth with the twist of a shawl. I say ‘effortlessly’ it must take a lot of rehearsal to make the changes so slick that the story telling is absolutely seamless.
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Gemma Aston majors as Jo, the headstrong, tomboy writer. Of all the sisters Jo is the most unconventional, the one who struggles to find her path through the world. Gemma Aston captures brilliantly Jo’s anguish at turning down her childhood friend, Laurie Lawrence’s, proposal of love and her determination to leave home on her own and succeed as a writer.
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Joanna Purslow plays the oldest sister, Meg who dreams of romance and finds it in the most unexpected of characters, the sincere, earnest John Brooke. Joanna should be commended for conveying Meg’s journey from idealistic, naïve teen to the maturity of motherhood.
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MaryAnna Kelly plays Amy March, the artist of the family who is more suited for a refined life. MaryAnna also plays Laurie Lawrence for the majority of the production and she portrays his growing love of Jo so subtly and beautiful that it creeps up on the audience as much as it creeps up on Jo. The resulting rejection is heartbreaking. It’s testament to the versatility of the cast that when Laurie unexpectedly finds love with Jo’s sister Amy (MaryAnna) that Joanna Purslow switches to the role of Laurie. But for the audience the story is unbroken as you are watching the same character.
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It's the same with Beth, the selfless sister, who, whilst visiting the sick and needy contracts scarlet fever which weakens and eventually shortens her life. All three actors switch between Beth during the run so convincingly that by the time Beth puts down her sewing needle as death approaches I couldn’t tell you which actor was playing her.
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Adrian Preater does a brilliant job as adaptor and director, his productions are always bold, slick, dramatic and very funny. However Little Women is driven by the female characters and along with the cast Adrian brought the subtler, gentler elements of the sisterhood to life.
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For those who love the novel or are discovering it for the first time this production delivers everything you want from Louisa May Allcott’s Little Women.
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