Little Women

The Space

Reviewed – 6th December 2018

★★★½

“the performances are committed and energised”

‘Little Women’ is a much loved classic, and Rachael Claye’s adaptation is deeply true to the spirit of its inspiration. Warm and human and familiar, this is a play about family, about growing up, about leaving and about coming back together. Four young women live with their mother, each yearning for different things. Amy is an artist, Jo a writer, Beth a carpenter and Meg wants to make a difference in people’s lives. We meet them as they begin to encounter the world, caught between child and adult.

The cast is consistently strong. Miranda Horn as Beth is particularly lovely, natural and bright onstage. Sean Stevenson’s Laurie is playful and likeable, Amy Gough as Jo is earnest and fervent. In fact across the cast, the performances are committed and energised, and the familial relationships feel nothing but genuine. Jonathan Hawkins as the quirky Professor is a vibrant late addition to the play.

The script captures well what is so brilliant about the book, the relationships and characters are well sketched. However whilst very strong in many ways, it suffers from indecision. The narrative is supposedly set in modern day Crouch End but the dialogue fluctuates back and forth, sometimes genuinely contemporary, in other moments far more mannered and of its time. The ages of some of the characters also seems confused. Stephanie Dickson as Amy, for example, has been directed to play quite young complete with pigtails and a bow in her hair but is simultaneously applying to art school, an incongruence which is not believable.

The show is also a little too long. There are a couple of scenes that are unnecessary, if lovely, and the end, equally is not needed. The image of Beth and Jo together for the last time, of ‘Little Women’ forming in Jo’s mind, is one of both sadness and hope, and I don’t think we learn anything further from the action that follows that.

A Christmas classic, Claye’s 2018 adaptation of ‘Little Women’ is a charming joy to watch that just needs some tweaking to really situate itself.

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Matthew Thomas

Little Women

The Space until 15th December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Asking For A Raise | ★★ | July 2018

I Occur Here | ★★★★★ | August 2018

Little Pieces of Gold | ★★★★★ | October 2018

Love is a Work In Progress | ★★★★ | October 2018

The Full Bronte | ★★★ | October 2018

Woman of the Year | ★★★ | October 2018

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★

“a beautiful show that will appeal across generations”

This is a story I loved as a child and read over and over. In their first collaboration, Soap Soup Theatre and Tessa Bide Productions create a charming adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic tale. The Selfish Giant, Grint (Tomasin Cuthbert Menes), has a fantastic garden and whenever she is on holiday, children play amongst the flowers. But when she comes back to find traces of children across her garden – miniature footsteps and beginner gardening books – she banishes them all from her garden and builds the highest wall she can. But without the children, the garden begins to die and is replaced by an eternal winter. Unbeknownst to the giant, however, there is one child, Poppy (Tessa Bide) still trapped inside. So begins a story of friendship, that celebrates difference and kindness.

There are some very beautiful elements to the production. The garden, designed by Tomasin Cuthbert Menes, who also plays Grinter, is created by items of clothing: crinolines adorned with rhododendrons, a hat that becomes a mushroom, scarves that denote creepers. It’s a lovely idea but one that I wanted even more of to get a more vibrant sense of the stark change between summer and winter. The puppets are also stunning, wonderfully crafted, vivid and well-puppeteered. Tessa Bide’s Poppy is well delivered, endearing and curious, whilst Tomasin Cuthbert Menes is vibrant, full of wonderful sounds and facial expressions.

However, whilst this is a beautiful story, it isn’t a long one and the piece as a result lacks a sense of substance. Although the puppetry and mime are done beautifully, the script and its delivery currently feel a little lacking. This picks up towards the end but The Selfish Giant doesn’t have the necessary oomph to keep all its audience perpetually engaged. Despite these small faults, which should be easy to fix, this is a beautiful show that will appeal across generations.

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Paul Blakemore

The Space

Reviewed – 6th December 2018

★★★½

“the performances are committed and energised”

A Christmas classic, Claye’s 2018 adaptation of ‘Little Women’ is a charming joy to watch that just needs some tweaking to really situate itself.

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Matthew Thomas

Little Women

The Space until 15th December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed – 1st December 2018

★★★★

“a beautiful show that will appeal across generations”

Reviewed by Amelia Brown

Photography by Paul Blakemore

The Selfish Giant

Omnibus Theatre until 24th December

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: