Most young girls grew up with Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, with its determined heroine, Jo March. Now, a new musical by Dan Redfield, Christina Harding and John Gabriel Koladziej, Jo – The Little Women Musical heads to Drury Lane for a one-night-only world premiere.
There’s a star-studded, powerhouse cast led by Kerry Ellis as Marmee and Christine Allado as Jo. The place is Massachusetts during the American Civil War. The four March girls are home while Father (Julian Ovenden) is away fighting.
Meg (Kelly Mathieson) is the eldest, quiet and dependable. Amy (Sophie Pollono) is flighty, vain and silly. Beth (Eleanor Grant) is the youngest: wise, sweet, and loving. And Jo is the firebrand who wants to be a famous writer, churning out fairytales and fantasies.
The music by Dan Redfield is sweeping and epic, ranging from solo moments (Meg’s “The Simple Truth”, Jo’s “Fly Away”, Beth’s “Moments”) to passionate duets (“I Swear My Love To You”, “My Captive Heart”, “When Nighttime Falls”). There are nods to pop, Americana, and traditional musical motifs.
Tracie Bennett‘s Aunt March offers a comic portrayal of ‘Old England’ money, her moments on stage raising the roof. Jo’s friend and neighbour, Laurie (Tobias Turley), is beautifully portrayed, showing both his sense of fun and innate kindness.
There are 14 scenes in Act One and 9 in a much shorter Act Two (which follows Jo to New York). The book and lyrics by Harding and Koladziej cover a large amount of the novel’s plot, but admittedly in broad strokes. No burning of books or sharing of gloves.
Where many of the screen adaptations have reduced the roles of Sallie (Miyuki Miyagi) and Fred (Yazdan Qafouri), or removed them altogether, they are here as a contrast to the decent Marches and Laurences.
JoAnn M Hunter‘s direction allows a lot of action and movement despite a staging with no sets and a visible orchestra and choir. Props and furniture set scenes from the March family attic, a garden, a ballroom, a beach and a busy street.
This will make a delicious full musical, with an emotional core already present. As the girls each leave the home (marriage, adventure, or a more permanent journey) the sisterhood we see in the first scene’s play feels as tight as ever.
Chris Mann’s Professor Bhaer is delightful; Liam Tamne‘s John Brooke offers strong support to Mathieson’s Meg. Barry James‘s crusty grandfather Laurence opens his heart as Beth reminds him of a family loss.
But it is the four girls who are the heart of this show. Allado is a tornado of energy with powerhouse vocals. Grant offers a heartbreaking portrayal of Beth; Pollono is convincing in her journey from frivolous schoolgirl to assured woman. And Mathieson is the ‘second mother’ of the house.
There isn’t one weak link in the casting of this show. The book could be sharpened a little bit to explain the childhood dynamic at the March home, and plot points like the poor Hummel family and the baby.
It would be an excellent Christmas show with its sense of warmth, family, and loving support of each other. It isn’t the only Little Women musical out there, but as a fan of the novel, I liked it.
If you know the novel, you can join the dots. The orchestra was never overpowering. This is a show that quite rightly had people engaged and invested in the story, and on their feet at the end.
****
Jo – The Little Women Musicalran for one night only at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 25 Jan 2026. Follow the show’s Instagram account.
Photo credit: Roger Allado