The Lyric Theatre is aiming to sweep away winter blues with “a heart-warming and captivating” production of Louis May Alcott’s Little Women on its main stage.
A predominantly female cast and crew will be headed by director Emily Foran and adaptor Anne-Marie Casey, who promise to “breathe new life into a cherished classic”.
Casey’s admired take on the fabled story of the March sisters in Civil War-era America was first seen at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Watford Place Theatre in 2022, and more recently in December last year at HOME, Manchester.
Foran describes it as “a tale for all women for all times. Whether it be motherhood, personal success and/or pursuing a meaningful career, Little Women celebrates diversity in women, and the importance of uplifting women no matter what their dreams are, even if they are different from our own”.
A nine-strong cast will be led by Marty Breen’s Jo, Ruby Campbell’s Meg, Maura Bird’s Beth and Tara Cush as Amy, with Jo Donnelly’s Marmee and Allison Harding’s Aunt completing the March family.
The company also includes Shaun Blaney, Cillian Lenaghan and Ash Rizi, who will share multiple male roles between them.
Design elements will be provided by Tracey Lindsay (set), Gillian Lennox (costumes), Sarah Jane Shiels (lighting) and Stuart Robinson (sound). Paula O’Reilly is the choreographer.
Lyric Executive Producer Jimmy Fay commented, “what a way to ‘march’ into 2024 than with the much loved classic Little Women… an enduring tale which will be brought to our main stage by the immensely talented Emily Foran who leads a predominantly female cast and production team. Audiences are in for a treat with this spectacular production”.
Little Women will run from February 3 to March 2.