Little Women:
The Broadway Musical at the Centaur
Kahnawake-based Starcatcher Productions brings new life to the timeless classic
By Mai DaSilva
August 28, 2025
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has been adapted into film, TV and theatre for generations, constantly bringing new life to the beloved classic. After rising to popularity with their highly successful production of Urinetown in 2022, Starcatcher Productions, the Kahnawake-based community theatre, decided to bring Little Women: The Broadway Musical to life at Centaur Theatre this summer, marking the Centaur debuts for many performers and designers involved.
Upon entry into the theatre space, you’re invited into their vision of the iconic March family home. Features such as a charmingly rustic living room, a beautiful pre-loved piano, and the cottage-feel, cozy attic where Jo March finds peace, help the audience feel invited to join the family in their soothing, loving home.
This lively community theatre [Starcatcher Productions] managed to bring together a group of incredibly talented artists, facilitating the opportunity to showcase some of the newer faces in the community.
My favourite pieces of Claire Labrecque and Maria Jose Lujan’s set design were the hanging window pieces paired alongside Sarah Pattloch’s lighting design. Whether it was beams of sunlight or the light glow of the night sky, the lighting helped add to the warmth of the atmosphere and brought this idyllic living room from a fake house to a real home. Additionally, the base of the stage was lined with painted waves, which was a lovely and relevant detail. While the audience may not have been able to see the waves from their seats, they’re an incredibly striking detail when noticed.
This lively community theatre managed to bring together a group of incredibly talented artists, facilitating the opportunity to showcase some of the newer faces in the community.
Relatively new to Montreal Musical Theatre, as she graduated from Dawson Professional Theatre in 2023, Sara Scarfo played Jo March with the natural joy and ambition needed to bring this spunky protagonist to life, without seeming too influenced by previous portrayals, and was refreshingly effervescent.
As seen most recently in WISTA’s Cinderella, Aniela Stanek, a McGill student, brought Amy March to life with such nuance and love. Being the youngest sister, Amy is known to be high-strung and jealous, but Stanek successfully brought the youthful conflict to these emotions rather than leaving them unexplained.
San Choi, playing the loving Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, brought out a particular wholesomeness to Laurie that often gets shadowed by other traits. His radiating dork-like energy led to a refreshing portrayal of the cherished male lead.
However, new artists aren’t the only ones getting iconic shining moments; Erin Yardley-Jones, recently seen in the Fringe show Horse Girls and Contact Theatre’s Cabaret, played the ancient foul Aunt March. The grumpy old auntie had the crowd thunderously laughing, all while the crowd felt the pressure on Jo to conform to her views of society. This performance, different from her previous roles, brought a Montreal theatre a side of Yardley-Jones that had been unseen in the past — entertaining, engaging and naturally funny!
‘Erin Yardley-Jones, recently seen in the Fringe show Horse Girls and Contact Theatre’s Cabaret, played the ancient, foul Aunt March… This performance, different from her previous roles, brought a Montreal theatre a side of Yardley-Jones that had been unseen in the past — entertaining, engaging and naturally funny!’
An upgrade from his one-man band we saw last year, music director and pianist Aaron Delaney conducts an impressive full band. This elevated the experience, creating a top-tier musical theatre world. However, there were several moments where the audio levels of instruments and vocals were unbalanced, unfortunately, meaning the performer’s voices felt drowned out at times. Despite this, witnessing moments where the whole cast harmonizes on top of the symphony of the band brought chills to my arms and tears to my eyes.
With the guidance of Kari Valmestad, the costume dramaturg, and various other artists on the sewing team, Leah Toledano designed period-accurate costumes that added one final layer of realism to the charming ambiance of the world built on stage. Each of the sisters’ costumes showed elements of their personalities, like Jo wearing a vest, and Amy wearing the (arguably) “cutest” dress out of the four. When Aunt March was decked out in utter elegance, Marmee dressed like a casual mother of the time. The level of detail by the designers involved proves a deeper understanding of the characters, which made it easier to fall in love with the world onstage.
Directed by Mona Maarabani with Kerrin-Lee Whyte, it was obvious the pair had a genuine love for Little Women when creating this production. The insightful grasp of the text provides a firm foundation for this captivating New England home, while the remaining creative team and cast bring it to a whole new level. With the run of Little Women: The Broadway Musical ending this Saturday, August 30, don’t miss out on the opportunity to witness this beautifully timeless story of familial love and loss at Centaur Theatre.
Images: Rebecca Erin Photography
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Mai DaSilva is an up-and-coming multidisciplinary artist based outside Montreal. She has performed in various plays and independently produced several of her scripts. Currently a theatre student at John Abbott College, Mai is ecstatic to delve deeper into the world of Montreal theatre.
