When I heard that IHA’s Fall Drama production was Little Women, I immediately bought the book before attending the show. When I received my Amazon package, I was ready to start reading but when I opened it, I was met with the 546-page count novel. I knew it would be nothing compared to seeing it live. I ordered a pair of tickets the day they were released and excitedly waited for opening night.

I was not expecting the cast’s abilities to portray such a powerful story and needless to say, I was blown away by the performance. The actors and actresses could not have been more realistic in their performance. I felt like they embodied the individuals they were portraying. I could not have been more impressed by the performance. It brought out my secret love for theatre.

I had the pleasure of sitting behind the family of Taylor Terry’22 (Jo), who were some of the best people to see the performance with. They realized I was writing an article and decided to bribe me with Starbursts. Just to clarify, the brides did not change my opinion of the show at all!

As I looked through my notes, I wrote countless times, “this is my favorite scene.” I loved the scene where Marmee told her children to marry for love instead of money because it takes a completely different approach than the social standard in the 60s. I felt like it set the stage for Jo’s eventual marriage because truthfully, I felt like she should not have been married off like Alcott’s publisher wanted. The cast could not have done a better job characterizing this situation, especially with Alcott on the side discussing her writing with her publisher. Additionally, I enjoyed the scene where the sisters initiated Laurie into the Girls’ Club because it gave a chance for the characters to act at a young age. Adding to my list of favorites was the scene where Jo sold her hair is also on my list of favorites. I do not think I could have asked the cast to illustrate this scene any better than they did. It left the audience full of laughter and was the perfect ending to the first act.

After watching the production, I can truthfully say that Little Women is on my next read list.

Abigail Diehl’23