The Walleye Magazine

Little Women

Cambrian Players Welcomes March with the March Sisters

By Taylor Onski

Nearly 155 years ago, Louisa May Alcott wrote a semiautobiographical novel about four sisters in Civil War-era Massachusetts. Since then, Little Women has become a classic comingof-age story that audiences adore as books, films, and theatrical productions. Now, Cambrian Players is bringing this gem to the Thunder Bay stage.

To co-director Rachel Warburton, this childhood classic’s themes of strong female characters, sibling dynamics, friendships, and conflicts inspired her to direct Little Women alongside Jim Hobson. “I had incredibly fond memories of it and was sort of surprised and pleased that so many people still did,” says Warburton. With a script by Marisha Chamberlain, this production follows one year in the March family’s life, focusing on the four sisters: mature Meg (Ariana Mclean), adventurous Jo (Nico Harding), shy Beth (Joelle Krupa), and ambitious Amy (Kara Coates).

Cambrian’s production also aims to explore the character of Jo March—the outspoken writer/director who rides horses, loves to go on adventures, and calls herself “boyish”--a little further. “We’re kind of leaning into the gender ambiguity of Laurie and Jo and working against some of the conventional gender things I think the story makes possible,” says Warburton.

Meanwhile, eldest sister Meg, played by Ariana Mclean, is very much opposite Jo and has to navigate these roles and dynamics differently. “Meg wants to be popular and rich and impress her mother and aunt,” says Mclean. “She wants all these things in the beginning, but it changes within a great range of anger, sadness, fear, and unsureness.”

Alongside strong performances within this cast of 11, this story’s relatable themes promise a night of great theatre. “I hope audiences take away a sense of community working together, both in the production itself and the characters’ lives,” says Warburton. “I also hope they are entertained and amused by siblings interacting, working out their conflicts, and being devoted to one another.”

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2023-03-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-01T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thewalleye.pressreader.com/article/281702618912045

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