By Allan Knee, Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein. Atherton Performing Arts. Directed by Sarah Riber. June 12 to 28, 2026
The Broadway musical Little Women is based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott and gives a new slant on the lives of the March sisters in 1860s America and the drama connected to their hopes and dreams.
Superbly directed by Sarah Riber, the show moves rapidly thanks to some very sharp and efficient scene changes by the support cast.
Centre stage for most of the drama is Emmy Riber who plays the eldest March sister Jo, who so desperately wants to be a published author.
Emmy carries the show with her strong acting and engaging stage presence. The energetic cast also features Cathy Knight as her mother, Emily Kitchiner as Meg, Clover Charlton as Beth and Tiama Tiraboschi as her youngest sister Amy. Emma Ledlin also gives a good performance as an older version of Amy.
Also catching the limelight is straight talking Anne Bowater as Aunt March, a cantankerous Paul Bowater as Mr Lawrence, a smartly dressed Gary Conwell as John Brooke and a shaggy haired Joshua Lane as Professor Bhaer.
A special mention must go to Laverda Charlton who plays the role of Theodore (Laurie) Lawrence a one-time suitor of Jo. It’s not easy playing a role of the opposite gender, but Laverda carries it off brilliantly and is one of the stars of the show.
The songs are all well sung with Cathy Knight’s powerful vocals catching the attention. There are no big chorus numbers, which can be refreshing. Each individual song is suited to the situation in the drama and is well delivered by each singer.
The whole production had a professional feel to it, with costumes, acting and the well-designed set doing justice to the script. The big audience certainly enjoyed opening night and gave loud and prolonged applause at the curtain call.
- Ken Cotterill
