November 18, 2024 by Ava Tatum (‘25)
Little Women is a timeless story and novel written by Louisa May Alcott and originally published in 1868, created into a movie in 1949 to be remade up until 2019, adapted into a play by Kate Hamill in 2018 and was wonderfully performed on the Lowenberg Auditorium stage this past Friday November 15th and Saturday the 16th.
Saratoga Springs High School brought the Little Women classic about family, love, and resilience to life with a star-studded cast. SSHS Junior Sarah Pipino skillfully played the leading lady herself, the ambitious and fiery Jo March while her senior co-star Peter Bruggemann wonderfully embodied the charming love interest of Theodore “Laurie” Laurence. The other March sisters were played by Camille Wilborn as headstrong Amy, Paeton Koshgarian as Meg, the nurturing eldest sister, and Anna Bonner as gentle and musical Beth, all in the loving support of the family’s matriarch, “Marmee”, casted as Ella Warden. For a more in-depth summary of the other cast members, read Sarah Pipino’s article advertising the play!
The backbone of any show is its set and costumes. You could put on a show starring Idina Menzel and Lin Manuel Miranda, but if they’re in smocks and performing in a parking lot, it won’t be as enjoyable. At Saratoga, costumes were not a problem. The costumes were wonderful, each character was well shown through their outfits, and I was happy to see that every element of their outfits was thought out: you’d be surprised at how many productions put Converse on their Beth March. The only true critique I have regarding costume design is that Laurie’s grandfather, Mr. Laurence (played by Max Mittler), could’ve had an older look, like the wrinkles and elderly makeup they gave to Aunt March (played by Ella Wilborn). That being said, I was amazed at the set, it captured that cozy atmosphere that Little Women gives off, and the set changes were smooth and well timed, and had a great atmosphere.
To start, I think I should give you some context on my opinions of the writing choices. Kate Hamills rendition of the novel is oversimplified and watered down when the entire point of Little Women is that you cannot put people into boxes. Nonetheless, the actors and actresses did an amazing job with the scripts they were given!
I know what you’ve been waiting for, the juicy stuff- the real meat and potatoes: the acting! Bruggemann’s portrayal of Laurie was superb, he had that silly and awkward charm you’d expect. Bruggemann truly had chemistry with everyone, from the brotherly relationship he had with Beth, to the mesmerized look that Laurie gives Jo every time she speaks. Whatever the scene, Bruggemann brought an energy to the stage that no one else could- adding immensely to the greatness of the production.
The star of the show, Jo March, was played beautifully. Pipino has so much range and depth, with every scene it felt like I was teleported into the March household. Pipino really portrayed her character with a great passion and grace that was essential for such a beloved (and important) role.
Speaking of Beth, there truly isn’t much to critique. Beth is already quiet and reserved, so in most adaptations it feels like she is a tool to move the plot along, but that doesn’t have much to do with Bonners portrayal of the character. I loved Bonners artistic silent dialogue/stage chatter, emotion and softness that was sprinkled into her lines-it added a lot of depth to an otherwise flat character.
Meg is written as a very one-dimensional character, but I think that Koshgarian took that and did her best with what she was given. Koshgaraian evenly distributed that sisterly bickering with the motherly nurturing of Marmee. Meg strives to be like Marmee, but she is still just a kid, so it’s natural for Meg to have those hiccups in motherhood and I think Koshgarian showed that off in a beautiful way.
Amy March is written brazen and vain, which I think Wilborn did a great job of portraying. She’s only 12 years old in act one and if you’ve ever spent time with a 12-year-old girl, you’d know that Wilborn played her part flawlessly. The writing robbed Wilborn of the chance to show the mature, artistic, ambitious side of Amy, often opting for a cheesy joke instead. But overall, Amy March was played with such strong acting and personality, the audience couldn’t help but love Wilborn’s execution.
The final character I want to talk about (of the many wonderful castings in the play) is Marmee. You’d think that Warden has four daughters at home with the way she played Marmee- from the very first line she said, I could just tell that she was perfect for the role. She just had such a maternal energy, and truly embodied “Marmee” March’s warm and comforting spirit to a T.
As aforementioned, the biggest critique I have about Little Women is the writing and direction. Many serious scenes were softened with corny bits that I found were slightly unnecessary. For example, at the start of act two, Aunt March and Jo have an intense fight about the war, but the fight is interrupted by Aunt March’s parrot the whole time. In Louisa May Alcott’s adaptation, the parrot is used as a tool to create a rising intensity in the scene, to push the girls over to a breaking point. Kate Hamill used this same element to get laughs out of the audience, which stole the spotlight from the incredible actors on stage.
With all that said, I really did enjoy the show. The cast and crew worked hard for months, and it really did pay off. Little Women will always hold a special place in my heart and watching the ambitious and talented SSHS drama club students come together to put on this show and put themselves out there for our school to enjoy makes it even more touching. Jo March said it best, “I like good strong words that mean something”. Congratulations to all those involved in the 2024 SSHS’ production of Little Women!