#Newcity Stage » Feed alternate alternate alternate fbpx * Skip to primary navigation * Skip to main content * Skip to primary sidebar [svg%3E] [NewcityStage-SP-031418-01.png] Newcity Stage Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago [svg%3E] [NewcityStage-SP-031418-01.png] [svg%3E] [button_subscribe-copy-4.png] * Newcity + Newcity Network + Best of Chicago * Art * Brazil * Design * Film * Lit * Music * Resto * Stage + About Newcity Stage + Advertise + Privacy Policy * * * * Search ____________________ * Subscribe + Magazine + Memberships + Newsletters Marching On: A Review of “Little Women” at First Folio Theatre December 21, 2022 at 7:00 am by Tristan Bruns by Tristan Bruns December 21, 2022December 20, 2022Filed under: * Theater Reviews Shelby Lynn Bliss (Jo), Jamie Herb (Beth), Stephanie Fongheiser (Meg), Esther Fishbein (Amy) in First Folio Theatre’s “Little Women”/Photo: Tom McGrath As a social barometer, Louisa May Alcott’s mid-nineteenth-century coming-of-age novel, “Little Women,” holds up. Although performed often as a play, the ostensible equality of women to men in modern-day society justifies every recurrence. The most recent iteration of “Little Women” to hit the Chicago area is presented by First Folio Theatre at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook. After twenty-six years, founding executive director David Rice is retiring and closing the company, making “Little Women” the third-to-last production of the final season. The lives of the four March sisters are framed by dark mahogany wood beams and numerous nooks filled to bursting with books in a spacious attic. Jo (Shelby Lynn Bias) is independent, a voracious reader and aspiring writer. Oldest sister Meg (Stephanie Fongheiser) is Jo’s near-opposite, content to marry and become a housewife. Third-oldest Beth (Jamie Herb) resembles a Dickensian heroine—subdued, angelic, trying to please everyone—too good for this world. The youngest sister, Amy (Esther Fishbein), is a brat, who grows to become a mature-ish artist. Each personality trait is amplified to the maximum, making the girls appear more childish than their ages—Amy, who should be twelve years old, comes across as seven or eight, a developmental drop that afflicts all characters. But the chemistry feels right, and interactions, though highly animated, come off as genuine and heartfelt. Jamie Herb (Laurie) and Esther Fishbein (Amy) in First Folio Theatre’s “Little Women”/Photo: Tom McGrath The actors perform double duty, with everyone except Bias playing both a sister and a male love interest. Fishbein briefly steps into the shoes of Meg’s future husband, John Brooke, and Fongheiser manages a German-ish accent as Professor Bhaer. Herb plays Laurie, Jo’s eager, wide-eyed childhood boyfriend, who not-so-secretly pines for her throughout their friendship. Among fans there is an ongoing debate whether Jo should have married Laurie or not. This production is unambiguous in asserting that Jo would never have been happy with such an immature and whiny partner, and why she winds up falling for the older Professor Bhaer. Two visual metaphors are used to great effect. While in Paris, Amy uses inflatable red balloons to symbolize her art, releasing every work she deems not a masterpiece to be sent squealing and twisting through the air. In the most brilliant scene in the production, new housewife Meg loses her mind while attempting to make currant jam, with lightweight juggling scarves representing how many things she has “up in the air.” Director Melanie Keller moves the show along at a quick pace that keeps the viewer enthralled. The adaptation, written by Heather Chrisler, contains a few big twists that Alcott would approve of. Today, the phrase “what is a woman” is a slur used by men on television and in politics to denigrate others. The women in “Little Women,” defined so clearly in First Folio Theatre’s recent production, show that womanhood exists on a spectrum. It’s sad that we—mostly men—need this reminder, but that is why works like this are so important, and why performers and audiences return to them again and again. “Little Women” at First Folio Theatre Company at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st Street in Oak Brook, firstfolio.org, (630)986-8067. Tickets are $49-$59 with discounts for seniors and students. Related Stories * Wodehouse Genius: A Review of “Jeeves Intervenes” at First Folio Theatre Wodehouse Genius: A Review of “Jeeves Intervenes” at First Folio Theatre Wodehouse Genius: A Review of “Jeeves Intervenes” at First Folio Theatre “It is impossible to be unhappy while reading the adventures of Jeeves and Wooster,” said novelist Christopher Buckley. “And I’ve tried.” * A Soundtrack to America: A Review of "Women of Soul with a Special Tribute to Aretha" A Soundtrack to America: A Review of "Women of Soul with a Special Tribute to Aretha" A Soundtrack to America: A Review of "Women of Soul with a Special Tribute to Aretha" Eight women and one man, vocal powerhouses all, move quickly from tune to tune. * Buggin’ Out: A Review of Bug at Steppenwolf Theatre Buggin’ Out: A Review of Bug at Steppenwolf Theatre Buggin’ Out: A Review of Bug at Steppenwolf Theatre The audience is the fly on the wall of a dingy Oklahoma hotel room where Agnes White is taking refuge from her recently released, abusive ex-husband Jerry. * Without Who? A Review of Rent at Porchlight Music Theatre Without Who? A Review of Rent at Porchlight Music Theatre Without Who? A Review of Rent at Porchlight Music Theatre What happens when you present “Rent” as a standard piece of musical theater rather than the “rock opera” its late creator Jonathan Larson intended? * Not Without A Fight: A Review of "Relentless" at TimeLine Theatre Not Without A Fight: A Review of "Relentless" at TimeLine Theatre Not Without A Fight: A Review of "Relentless" at TimeLine Theatre Though the characters in "Relentless" are educated and well-to-do, they are far from reserved in world view—their rage seethes, hidden only by the comfort of their surroundings and the decorum of their lives. * Caught Up: A Review of The Mousetrap at Court Theatre Caught Up: A Review of The Mousetrap at Court Theatre Caught Up: A Review of The Mousetrap at Court Theatre The characters in Sean Graney's production of Agatha Christie's delicious whodunit slowly come undone like so much hard candy. Tagged: * David Rice * Esther Fishbein * First Folio Theatre * Heather Chrisler * Jamie Herb * Louisa May Alcott * Mayslake Peabody Estate * Melanie Keller * Shelby Lynn Bias * Stephanie Fongheiser Post navigation Previous Post Morals vs. Monstrosities: A Review of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins at Strawdog Theatre Company Next Post Chicago Theater Is Home: An Interview with Marissa Lynn Ford About Her Plans for the League of Chicago Theatres Primary Sidebar Black-and-white photo of curtains down, illuminated at the front of a movie theater. Newcity logo in upper right corner and words 'Film 50' in bottom right corner. Black-and-white photo of curtains down, illuminated at the front of a movie theater. Newcity logo in upper right corner and words 'Film 50' in bottom right corner. December 2022 Issue Subscribe Most Popular * Chicago Theater Is Home: An Interview with Marissa Lynn Ford About Her Plans for the League of Chicago Theatres * You Name It: A Review of “Do the Right Thing, No Worries If Not” at The Second City Mainstage * Players 2020: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago * To Bard, or Not to Bard: Why Shakespeare is finally coming to Steppenwolf * One Recommendation: Step Afrika! NewcityLogo.png NewcityLogo.png Facebook Twitter Instagram * About * Players 2020 * Currently Running Shows * Privacy Policy * Advertise * Subscribe * Newsletters * Newcity Custom * Chicago Film Project Copyright Newcity Communications, Inc. © 2021 Quantcast