Little Women (Hamill)
by Louisa May Alcott, Kate Hamill

Name: Little Women (Hamill)
Brand: Louisa May Alcott
SKU: 9780822240655
Rating: 4.07 (17 reviews)

Off-Broadway

Little Women (Hamill) Book Cover — Little Women (Hamill) Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins American Civil War Era Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes Comedy

Synopsis

Jo March isn’t your typical Victorian lady.

She’s indecorous and headstrong, and one day she’s going to be a great American novelist.

As she and her sisters grow up in the middle of the Civil War, they strive to be brave, intelligent and imaginative young women.

But as adulthood approaches, each sister must negotiate her private ambitions with society’s expectations.

In a wartorn world defined by gender, class and personal tragedy, Jo March gives us her greatest story: that of the March sisters, four dreamers destined to be imperfect little women.

In classic Kate Hamill fashion, a literary masterpiece is updated and refreshed for the modern age, with focus given to the strong, seldom well-behaved women who make history.

Bursting with humor and emotional intelligence, this Little Women speaks across centuries and generations.

Press Reviews

"Ms. Hamill’s feminist-friendly spin on the classics never fail to sound an engagingly original note… an ingenious compassion of Alcott’s novel that is by turns funny and painfully poignant…it touched me to the heart."
— Wall Street Journal

"Jo has always been the most compelling character by far in Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age novel Little Women. In reworking it for the stage, Kate Hamill… has done the dramatically sensible thing and placed Jo at the center… The silly, malaprop-prone Amy blossoms fully into her horridness, becoming an excellent foil for Jo… Meg, [as] a frazzled young mother, gets a gorgeous scene of near despair… with just the right comic touch."
— The New York Times

"Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Little Women… is a sublime example of how to make 19th century works relevant to modern audiences. Unlike recent adaptations, which have merely transposed Alcott’s characters to different eras, but retained the book’s whiteness and outdated ‘all-American girl’ values, Hamill understands that Alcott’s core beliefs, if not her specifics, were invitations not to tea parties and cotillions, but to invite all women to revolution."
— Talkin’ Broadway

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
ACTOR 1 Plays MARMEE MARCH, the matriarch of the March family. A social revolutionary, ahead of her time. Good sense of humor. A warrior; keeps the family together. Tough. Strong. Intelligent; and AUNT MARCH, 70+, the most unpleasant old woman imaginable. Has lots of money; privileged. Strong political and personal opinions, which people endure. Judgmental. Has an intermittent, hacking, disgusting cough.	female	70	Plays MARMEE MARCH, the matriarch of the March family. A social revolutionary, ahead of her time. Good sense of humor. A warrior; keeps the family together. Tough. Strong. Intelligent; and AUNT MARCH, 70+, the most unpleasant old woman imaginable. Has lots of money; privileged. Strong political and personal opinions, which people endure. Judgmental. Has an intermittent, hacking, disgusting cough.
ACTOR 2 Plays MEG MARCH, the oldest March daughter. Wears glasses. Acts as Marmee’s second in the house. A romantic at heart – likes to dress up and have little luxuries in life.	female	—	Plays MEG MARCH, the oldest March daughter. Wears glasses. Acts as Marmee’s second in the house. A romantic at heart – likes to dress up and have little luxuries in life.
ACTOR 3 Plays JO MARCH, the second-oldest March. Does not fit comfortably within the parameters of her given gender role. A deep fire within her. Extremely ambitious and frustrated by the distance between where she is and where she wants to be. Impatient. Wants to change the world. Very smart and knows it. A mix of insecurity and aspiration. Boyish and rough-and-tumble. Sometimes antagonistic. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Can be quite awkward or abrupt; bad temper when riled. A great sense of humor. Passionate. Ahead of her time. A warrior. Has a special relationship with Beth.	female	—	Plays JO MARCH, the second-oldest March. Does not fit comfortably within the parameters of her given gender role. A deep fire within her. Extremely ambitious and frustrated by the distance between where she is and where she wants to be. Impatient. Wants to change the world. Very smart and knows it. A mix of insecurity and aspiration. Boyish and rough-and-tumble. Sometimes antagonistic. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Can be quite awkward or abrupt; bad temper when riled. A great sense of humor. Passionate. Ahead of her time. A warrior. Has a special relationship with Beth.
ACTOR 4 Plays BETH MARCH, the third March. An extremely special person. Very sweet and paralytically shy; had to be removed from school because of her paralyzing social anxieties. Agoraphobic. Almost incapable of going out in the world; sheltered by her family. Loves deeply and has deep empathy for everyone. Loves the simple things in life – so much that it hurts. Sees much more than anyone realizes. Brave and sensitive; quick to forgive and heal wounds. An observer.	female	—	Plays BETH MARCH, the third March. An extremely special person. Very sweet and paralytically shy; had to be removed from school because of her paralyzing social anxieties. Agoraphobic. Almost incapable of going out in the world; sheltered by her family. Loves deeply and has deep empathy for everyone. Loves the simple things in life – so much that it hurts. Sees much more than anyone realizes. Brave and sensitive; quick to forgive and heal wounds. An observer.
ACTOR 5 Plays AMY MARCH, the youngest March. Opinionated and spunky; popular and quite focused on style. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Socially intelligent. Sometimes puts on airs. Perhaps a bit spoiled. A perfect little lady – except for her temper, and her not-so-great command of “vocabiblary.” Grows up to be quite beautiful and elegant. Madly in love with Laurie, around whom she is never cool.	female	—	Plays AMY MARCH, the youngest March. Opinionated and spunky; popular and quite focused on style. Not the most tolerant of differing viewpoints. Socially intelligent. Sometimes puts on airs. Perhaps a bit spoiled. A perfect little lady – except for her temper, and her not-so-great command of “vocabiblary.” Grows up to be quite beautiful and elegant. Madly in love with Laurie, around whom she is never cool.
ACTOR 6 Plays HANNAH, Irish. The March’s longtime housekeeper, cook, and defacto babysitter. A treasure; a terror; a traditionalist. Takes no nonsense. Matter-of-fact; she’s the boss of that kitchen, for sure; MRS. MINGOTT, a very rich, stylish woman. Vanderbilt-esque, condescending, not terribly pleasant; fancies herself charitable; and MESSENGER, a female messenger.	female	—	Plays HANNAH, Irish. The March’s longtime housekeeper, cook, and defacto babysitter. A treasure; a terror; a traditionalist. Takes no nonsense. Matter-of-fact; she’s the boss of that kitchen, for sure; MRS. MINGOTT, a very rich, stylish woman. Vanderbilt-esque, condescending, not terribly pleasant; fancies herself charitable; and MESSENGER, a female messenger.
ACTOR 7 Plays THEODORE “LAURIE” LAURENCE – A sweet and handsome young man. Sensitive. Funny, charming, and caring. In his fantasies he’s a white knight: riding in to rescue damsels in distress. A natural musician. Wealthy thanks to his inheritance; generous, does not have to think about money. Does not always fit comfortably within the parameters of his given gender role—he doesn’t want to grow up to be a soldier or tedious man of business. Finds a family in the Marches.	male	—	Plays THEODORE “LAURIE” LAURENCE – A sweet and handsome young man. Sensitive. Funny, charming, and caring. In his fantasies he’s a white knight: riding in to rescue damsels in distress. A natural musician. Wealthy thanks to his inheritance; generous, does not have to think about money. Does not always fit comfortably within the parameters of his given gender role—he doesn’t want to grow up to be a soldier or tedious man of business. Finds a family in the Marches.
ACTOR 8 Plays JOHN BROOKS, Laurie’s sometimes stiff and awkward tutor. A rule follower. A poor man, well educated. Has a very noticeable limp – probably served in the war and was sent home, although may have been disqualified from service altogether. Feels deeply. Quite madly in love with Meg; and PARROT, Aunt March’s parrot: pure evil. A musty, disgusting bird. Probably an actual demon in parrot form.	male	—	Plays JOHN BROOKS, Laurie’s sometimes stiff and awkward tutor. A rule follower. A poor man, well educated. Has a very noticeable limp – probably served in the war and was sent home, although may have been disqualified from service altogether. Feels deeply. Quite madly in love with Meg; and PARROT, Aunt March’s parrot: pure evil. A musty, disgusting bird. Probably an actual demon in parrot form.
ACTOR 9 Plays MR. LAURENCE, Laurie’s grandfather, responsible for Laurie’s upbringing. A wealthy man. A gentleman in the strictest sense. Not comfortable with emotional language; bad at expressing himself. Has a rigid sense of what is appropriate behavior, especially for a man. Tends towards gruffness or temper. Probably quite unintentionally frightening. Deeply regretful of incidents in his past, but unable to express it; and ROBERT MARCH – Father to the March girls. Never speaks, but his presence looms large. Wounded in the war; never quite recovers. A significant limp. Struggles with his injuries, both emotional and physical.	female	—	Plays MR. LAURENCE, Laurie’s grandfather, responsible for Laurie’s upbringing. A wealthy man. A gentleman in the strictest sense. Not comfortable with emotional language; bad at expressing himself. Has a rigid sense of what is appropriate behavior, especially for a man. Tends towards gruffness or temper. Probably quite unintentionally frightening. Deeply regretful of incidents in his past, but unable to express it; and ROBERT MARCH – Father to the March girls. Never speaks, but his presence looms large. Wounded in the war; never quite recovers. A significant limp. Struggles with his injuries, both emotional and physical.
MR. DASHWOOD A publisher of cheap newspapers and novels. A businessman, working in a man’s world. Fancies himself a realist. Not a nice guy. Fancies himself a nice guy.	male	—	A publisher of cheap newspapers and novels. A businessman, working in a man’s world. Fancies himself a realist. Not a nice guy. Fancies himself a nice guy.