The cast of Little Women — A Play With Music at their previous success in Freshwater, from left, Thea Callaghan (on the floor), Ellie Rutherford, Richard Buckley, Peter Farrin, Harriet Back, Harley Mackness (on the floor) with Faye Farrin (back) and Traci Reader.
STAGE REVIEW VENTNOR Theatre Group came back by popular demand with their brilliant adaptation of Little Women — A Play with Music at Shanklin Theatre.
The story, set in the 1860s, followed the lives of four working class sisters during the American Civil War.
The young actresses playing Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy took to their roles with grace, with a particularly memorable performance from Harley Mackness as protagonist, Jo.
The March sisters struggle their way through each day, working hard to support one another while their father is at war. But life is never easy as they are plagued by bad news, health scares and social ridicule.
"What a trying world it is. No sooner do we get out of one trouble than down comes another," declared Jo.
Each scene was beautifully tied together with empathetic music from live piano, oboe, cello and guitar. Each piece was well selected to capture the atmosphere on stage. It was an outstanding performance by the musicians.
The American accents from all cast members did not falter throughout the production and the charming singing voices from the four sisters pleased the audience.
Traci Reader delivered a believable performance as Marmee, a mother who wants the best for her daughters in a time when marrying into money was the best chance you had of making a life for yourself.
Little Women is a timeless story, which will continue to live on in our theatres. Script writer Rosie Hayward and director Tony Careless brought the much-loved story alive once more with this delightful production.