Little Women

By Joanna Langfield

Do we really need another adaptation of this beloved classic? When it’s as wonderful as this one is, the answer is yes, oh yes, indeed.

Greta Gerwig has staged this lush and lovely production with obvious care and affection. But she’s not content to just offer up a restaging. Mixing it up with the sequencing, as well as some popular young actors and theater veterans, commands our attention and glee. I mean who wouldn’t love to see the dandy Saoirse Ronan as the independent Jo, Timothee Chalamet nail the charm of Laurie, the magical Emma Watson bring a touch of melancholy to Meg? And if you come to the show for all of them, you’ll stay for the star making turn from Florence Pugh, whose Amy is far more interesting here than she has sometimes been before. And then there are the supporting players: Laura Dern, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper, Jane Houdyshell, and Tracy Letts all light up the screen.

But what a time it is for a revival! Louisa May Alcott’s novel, originally published in the late 1860’s, painted far more than a picture of women left behind during the Civil War. Sure, there’s a love story (or two, or three), but what Alcott delivered were women who wanted more than to “just” marry. Our heroines have yearnings of their own: to write, create art, to enjoy one dazzling thing before entering adulthood. Today’s women may have, I hope, learned to pursue their dreams. A reminder of the timeless struggle to find one’s true place in the world offers warm and comforting perspective.

As beautiful and inviting as Gerwig’s movie is, we also bask in the glow of the family and sisters who remind us of our own. Or, at least for a little while, we can wish they did.