Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
The playwright Louisa May Alcott born in 1832 is an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She was raised in New England and had a lack to grow up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Encouraged by her family, Louisa began writing from an early age, and that is how her best-known novel 'Little Women' was born.
In the setting of Victorian-Era the Little Women Ballet and ArtistsPlus Productions brought to us this spring immersive site-specific experience of Little Women Balletat the Heritage Square Museum. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by actors at the entrance of the property all dressed in the clothing of the Victorian time, and by speaking perfect British English expressed their amazement in our way of dressing. We got packages with little tubes to blow bubbles and some flower petals, which were used in the very last scene during the magnificent dance numbers at the wedding in the church, where delicious punch was served and a piece of pastry. Everybody got a ribbon with a different color: green, pink, light blue and dark blue. The color of the bow placed on our outfits indicated the audience group we would be with.
As it is in the writing, we arrived in Concord, Massachusetts and all these gorgeous Victorian houses were used for different parts of the story. Before we entered the first house we were informed of housekeeping guidelines. One of the rules was not to sit on original chairs or couches, and not to touch any of the props. The idea for them is - to be in use for a long time to come. The story was presented through several 15-minute vignettes while we were escorted through many of the historic Victorian era houses by the way of dance and storytelling.
Our escort and a storyteller was Denice Moses (Aunt March), a beautiful actor and a dancer who upon arrival greeted us with 'Good Day', but later we found out that she speaks French as well, because the rest of her greeting were expressed by 'Bonjour'. During the narration of the story lots of questions were asked, to give a chance for the literature lovers in our group to test their knowledge, which made this whole presentation super fun. Great job Aunt March!
In one of the five houses we entered was a composer Daniel Robbins who played a piano created by his original music scores. Delightful music and so uplifting for the story. Bravo!
The dance numbers were exuberantly expressed by the dancers. The enthusiastic cast went all the way to bring the audience in and tell the story with excitement. Throughout the production some of the main characters were portrayed by different actors, such as Josephine March (Jo) were Sophia Moritz, Anna Lee Rohovec and Hanna Peddicord.
Rebekah Tkach, Isabella Granquist and Jill Oates were
Margaret March (Meg); Claire Simmons and Casandra Vogel were
Beth March. Claire and Casandra, together with Jill portrayed
Sallie Gardiner as well.
Amy March was played by Catie Faye Smith and Madison Marsh.
Theodore Laurence (Laurie) is Christopher Flores. Alberto Hernandez and Jacob Robleto portray
John Brooke/
Father March. Ludmila Malakhov is a passionate mother
(Marmie). Ross Clark is
Grandfather Laurence. Jordan Oz and Paul Fiumano portrayed Fred Vaughn/Frank Vaughn. Lana Spring is
Kate Vaughn, Nadine Booth is
Hannah Mullet, and Riley Jennings is fabulous
Louisa May Alcott.
Young Amy is beautiful, Charlotte Orlando,
young Meg is Isabel Zapata, Isla Bischoff is young Beth and Eleni Rodriguez is
young Jo. Elodie Collet portrays
young Jo/young Meg and
Annie Moffet. And Laila Jennings portrays
young Meg and
young Beth.
The delightful cast members were skillfully led by Artistic Director and Choreographer Emma Andres who said, "This production has been a rewarding journey, and I'm proud of everyone who helped bring it to life. As a young, female choreographer, I care deeply about giving young dancers the chance to be a part of stories that are not only technically challenging, but emotionally meaningful - stories with characters they can connect with and learn from. The March sisters, while fictional, reflect real hopes, struggles, and dreams that still resonate today. They remind us of the power of perseverance, creativity, and love - values that are at the heart of this production and of dance itself."
The Little Women story of sisterhood, love, loss, and family were seen only with five unique performances, between May 23-25, 2025, providing an up close and personal view of the characters, the dancing, storytelling, and intricate handmade costumes.
*** After rebounding from the tragedy of the Eaton Fire where Little Women Ballet props, merchandise, painted signage, decorations, and many of the costumes were destroyed, Little Women Ballet thanks its many supporters for assisting in its rebuilding and is thrilled to be able to bring these special and unique experiences back this spring.
Editor's Note: You can see the full-length Little Women
Ballet at an upcoming production in June at the Pasadena Playhouse on June 21 at 2 & 7pm and June 22 at 2pm. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 W. El Molino Ave in Pasadena.