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It's been nearly one hundred thirty-four years since the original publication of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott of Concord, ninety years since the first Broadway stage adaptation of this beloved classic, and six years since the last film version. In between, there has been an almost endless array of variations on the theme. Consider the 1940 three-act operetta by John Ravold and Geoffrey O'Hara and the recent spate of musical and operatic versions across the country, or the 1955 London ballet, "A Girl Called Jo," and the 1956 ballet performed at the Boston Conservatory Auditorium starring Adolphe Robicheau.
How about the 1958 David Susskind-Richard Adler television musical with Margaret O'Brien and Florence Henderson that The N. Y. Daily News described as " ...denuded, truncated and almost skeletonized..." to be able to fit within the one-hour time slot, including commercials? (This is also the version that had Beth March recovering from her illness, with playwright Adler vowing that, "Beth will die over my dead body!")
Think of the actresses, too, who have held the coveted role of Jo March on stage and screen over the ages -- Katharine Hepburn, Arlene Francis, Mildred Natwick, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Frances Farmer, Katharine Cornell, Madge Evans, Jessie Royce Landis, June Allyson, Susan Dey, Winona Ryder. And, having been translated into over fifty languages, the mind boggles as to how many other presentations have been bandied about the world's stages. As The Boston Herald noted in 1958, "Miss Alcott might be amazed to know that a book she wrote ...has survived to be seen by millions in a single evening." Indeed.
Your Neighbors, on Stage
But it has also been seventy years since the first Concord Players' staging of "Little Women" in honor of Miss Alcott's 100th birthday and her co-founding of The Players' parent organization, The Concord Dramatic Union. 1932 also marked the beginning of a tradition that continues only every ten years -- that of re-creating on the 51 Walden stage the immortal tale of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy coming of age in the Civil War era. For decades, too, people have been asking the same question: Why?
Perhaps it's as simple as the fact that Little Women has never been out of print and has consistently ranked in the top ten bestsellers of all time (usually right behind The Bible...). Perhaps the story, in breaking through many 19th Century strictures, presents a poignant portrait that transcends time, distance, and ethnicity to evoke the real meaning of life -- vision focused into action, conscience triumphing over convention, hope breaching adversity. Or perhaps it's just the memory many of us hold dear of our mother's sweet voice reading the story over and over as we drifted off to the Celestial City of our dreams...
But what of Concord? Why should we care today? The play itself and its unique decennial nature provide a continuum of people and events each of us holds dear, too. After Alcott heirs sanctioned the first Broadway script, 1912 playwright Marian deForest wrote The Players' first "Comedy in Four Acts," and local descendants once again lent their support, this time quite literally: Bronson Alcott Pratt and Louisa Alcott Kussin, grandchildren of Anna Alcott and John Pratt, performed as Mr. March and Meg, respectively, in the first play. In 1992, great-grandchild William F. Kussin Jr. provided great comic relief (and will again this year) as Mr. Dashwood, disingenuous publisher of The Spread Eagle, a sensationalist newspaper Jo March wishes to have publish her "thrillers."
Orchard House, home to the Alcotts for over 20 years and where Little Women was written and set, also plays its role. In 1952, Marie Eaton, currently office volunteer extraordinaire and long-time supporter of Orchard House, portrayed Beth March. 1962 saw future Louisa May Alcott Memorial Association President Christopher Davies tackle the role of Laurie and, in a fitting twist, play Mr. Laurence, Laurie's grandfather, in 1992! In 1982, staff members loaded the cast: Kristen Hutchins, Carol Anderson, Pamela Taylor, Melanie Blood, John Butterfield, and Jay Powers regaled audiences as Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, John Brooke, and Laurie. And in 1992, future Executive Director Jan Turnquist took on the role of Marmee, one which she will reprise this year, sharing it in a unique arrangement with Louisa May Alcott Memorial Association member and Orchard House next-door neighbor Susan Ellsworth. Association members Dorothy and Harry Schecter will once more provide their immense talents as director and sound coordinator, as they did ten years ago.
Recognize the names? How about these: Arnold, Baldwin, Billings, Brown, Butler, Buttrick, Clarke, Corey, Crowell, Ellis, Farnsworth, Fenn, Fripp, Gage, Hannegan, Harlow, Hugens, Jewell, Kent, Lunt, MacLeod, MacPherson, Maxwell, McDowell, McMains, Megliola, Miller, Osbourne, Sheppard, Smith, Strait, Taylor, Wulsin, Wood, and more. Many have family who are still around town, even acting in The Players.
Let rise the curtain, then, on this play of life -- and may we all feel ourselves a part of it!
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Click on each photo for a larger view.
1932 photo of Bronson Alcott Pratt (Mr. March) - Schervee Studios
1932 photo of Louisa Alcott Kussin (Meg) - Schervee Studios
1952 photo of Marie Eaton (Beth)- Yankee Magazine staff photographer
1962 photo of Chris Davies (Laurie) - Alessandro Macone
1992 photo of Fritz Kussin (Mr. Dashwood) - Dave Chase of The Martin Studio
Photo of Jan Turnquist (Marmee) - Kim MacDonald
Photos courtesy of Orchard House.
Artwork: Word of Mouth Web Design.
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