WTC presents ‘Little Women’ for the holidays
Kadence Johnson as Beth, Shelbie Guckenberg as Amy, May Boggess as Jo, Amanda Schram as Marmee, and Annie Robertson as Meg in the Whitefish Theatre Company’s production of “Little Women” (WTC courtesy photo).
The Whitefish Theatre Company presents “Little Women” as its winter show at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Based on the beloved book, this heartfelt and captivating play opens with a sneak preview night at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Performances continue Dec. 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m., and on Dec. 11 and 18 at 4 p.m.
In Kate Hamill’s sparkling adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel “Little Women,” Jo March is not your typical Victorian lady. She is ambitious, rough around the edges, headstrong, and yearns for the day when she will be a great American novelist. As the nation is torn apart by civil war, Jo and her sisters struggle with what it means to grow up, as each sister must negotiate her private ambitions with society’s expectations of gender and class.
Written with a contemporary flair and called “ingenious, saucy and spunky” by the New York Times, Jo March gives us her greatest story — the March sisters, four dreamers destined to be imperfect little women.
“So many people have told me that ‘Little Women’ is their favorite book,” director Linda Grinde said. “These characters represent the struggle to grow up and find your true self, even in the midst of difficulties, a message that speaks to every generation and most poignantly to our own.”
The world premiere of this stage adaptation of “Little Women” occurred in Minneapolis in 2018, followed by a New York premiere in 2019. Talkin’ Broadway has called Hamill’s adaptation “a sublime example of how to make 19th century works relevant to modern audiences.”
The cast is composed of 11 actors from around the Flathead Valley, including May Boggess, Annie Robertson, Shelbie Guckenberg, Kadence Johnson, Hunter Cripe, Amanda Schram, Jan Simpson, Jack Eaton, Susi Kohler, Adam Robinson and Joel Welle.
“I am delighted to be working with both the young talent, some appearing on the WTC stage for the first time, and with the seasoned actors and friends familiar to our audiences,” Grinde said. “Together they have woven a story sure to tug at your heart even while you are laughing.”
Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors, and $10 for students with reserved seating. Tickets for the Dec. 8 sneak preview performance are sold only at the door and are $12 for adults and $10 for students.
Tickets can be purchased online at whitefishtheatreco.org, at the WTC box office at 1 Central Ave. in Whitefish, or by calling 406-862-5371. Box office hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before performance times.