LITTLE WOMEN at Old Academy Players - Three Performances Remaining Fri & Sat Nov 18 & 19 @ 8pm & Sun Nov 20 @ 2pm

There are three performances remaining to see Little Women directed by Carla Childs at Old Academy Players in East Falls.  Little Women is a must see…a great start to your holiday season! 

Director Carla Childs has cast the March family perfectly for Little Women.  Carla captivates the audience with her direction and succeeds in bringing both the good and the bad times to life.  Without a doubt this production is a masterpiece…it will make you laugh and cry as you reflect about your own family.

Bonnie Kapenstein is fearless and tender-loving as mother Marmee, leading her Little Women—Skye Pagon as the well-mannered Meg, Julia Wise as the tomboyish aspiring writer Jo, Grace Kauffman-Rosengarten as the ever cheerful homebody Beth, and Jessica Hobbs-Pifer as the vain artistic Amy—through trials and tribulations during the Civil War while her beloved husband (Gerry Alexander) is serving as a chaplain.

The interaction among the Little Women sisters is truly amazing with comedic timing down to the millisecond.  The nuances in a glance or a touch or the delivery of a line are things I cannot adequately describe…one must experience this play to understand the close knit family sharing its home on stage with the audience.

Julia’s Jo, “the man of the family” while father is away, is a bundle of energy and spontaneity walking the line between adolescence and maturity.  Grace’s Beth is even-tempered and kind, a quality not easy to convey.  The evil tantrum erupting from Jessica’s Amy is volcanic yet funny.  The love blooming between Skye’s Meg and Brian Weiser’s serious and attentive Mr. Brooke is a sweet innocence filled with stolen glances and unspoken longing.

Patricia Pelletreau’s Hannah, the family maid, shows her love and devotion to the March family in the no nonsense manner in which she helps in a crisis.

Cory Meccariello’s Laurie, the boy next door, is mannerly and good natured while being the best pal to Jo and a true brother to the other sisters.

Bob Freed (Mr. Laurence) delivers his lines as Laurie’s proud stern grandfather soon showing his tender side to the March family.

Dale Mezzacappa’s Aunt March is a hoot.  Dale nailed the character down to the haughty inflection ending her sentences.  The ladies in the row in front of me whispered how much they liked that Aunt March.

When Mr. March returns, the ending is a happy one thanks in part to Gerry Alexander’s warm fatherly love encompassing his family and friends.

The action of the play takes place in the living room of the March home, with attention paid to every detail and encompassed by the period wall-paper…clever set design by Larry Chapman.  The costumes were splendid—particularly the dress with the scorch mark—thanks to Ginny Kaufmann, Sarah Swearer, and Laura Seeley.  The hair styles were period appropriate thanks to Alice McBee.  The lighting and sound cues were spot on.

Produced by Helga Krauss (producer extraordinare), the three remaining performances of Little Women, a play written by Peter Clapham and adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, will be performed at Old Academy Players on Indian Queen Lane for the last times on Friday and Saturday, November 18 & 19 at 8 pm and on Sunday, November 20, at 2 pm.  (Last Sunday’s performance was a sellout.)  

Produced by Helga Krauss (producer extraordinare), the three remaining performances of Little Women, a play written by Peter Clapham and adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, will be performed at Old Academy Players on Indian Queen Lane for the last times on Friday and Saturday, November 18 & 19 at 8 pm and on Sunday, November 20, at 2 pm.  (Last Sunday’s performance was a sellout.)  Tickets are $15 each.  Visit www.oldacademyplayers.org for more information.

Call 215-843-1109 for reservations today!