All photos are by Steven Campbell.
After a successful opening weekend of “Little Women” at the Pocket Theatre, the cast prepares for the three final showings starting Friday.
“Audiences have really responded to the characters — Jo as Hugo in her play in the beginning has garnered laughs and Aunt March earns appreciation as well,” director Jodi Tooke said. “I also heard some sniffles as Jo tended to ailing Beth. I am so pleased with how (cast) and crew have gelled to tell this amazing story of four young women.”
The final showings will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased here.
In a first for the Pocket, this play is based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel “Little Women.”
“Marissa Chamberlin is the playwright and she has done just a fantastic job of condensing the story, and kind of hitting some of the highlights,” Tooke said. “She’s changed the order a little bit, for people familiar with the book, of some of the events, but it really works … to show the growth of each of the four young women, and how you can kind of see in the play where they kind of turn that corner and start becoming a young adult.”
Tooke said audiences can expect a “magical” story about four girls turning into women, and how they have experienced the world through the trials and tribulations of growing up and facing sisterly rivalry.
“I think in the first act audiences will just fall in love with these girls, and then through the second act you get a little bit of a drama, a little bit of a sadness,” she said. “And then joy when father comes home and the idea that the family is all together again, and the girls just stand again on the brink of young adulthood ready to kind of pursue their hopes and dreams for the future.”
The production’s cast features Kacie Koen as Jo, Autumn Slaght as Meg, Anna-Claire McCarter as Amy, Audrey Mitchell as Beth, Diane Martini as Hannah, Cori McCarter as Marmee, Jo Kinder as Aunt March, Eddie Rogers as Father, Kevin Day as Old Mr. Laurence, Hayden Wood as Laurie and Courtland Callis as Mr. Brooke.
The Pocket is a Hot Springs’s community theatre of 30 years. Its mission is to “stimulate, promote, educate and develop interest in the dramatic arts.” To volunteer or audition for a future production, click here.
