"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.

Chapterhouse Theatre Company.

Nottingham Castle Grounds.

It's always quite special when a play is performed outside and the weather behaves itself, as it did tonight in the grounds of Nottingham Castle, a beautiful setting for a wonderful piece of theatre; a piece that I had not seen, indoor or out, before.

It is Christmas Eve, 1862. With their father away on the frontline of the American Civil War, working as a Chaplain. The four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – journey into adulthood, each determined to pursue a life on their own terms. But growing up means contending with love and loss, as well as the myriad twists of fortune that shape a life.

I last read this book at school, so that's, oooh let me think, a few years ago now, and seeing this production has actually kindled a new appreciation for this magical story.

This is one of those brilliant ensemble pieces of theatre, everyone involved are wonderful storytellers as well as performers.

Kaira Rodgers (Jo March), Becky Bond (Amy March), Kirsty Valler (Meg March), Tessa Brockis (Beth March), Lisa Lhermette (Marmee), Charlie Sheepshanks (Laurie), Troy Cressman (John Brooke and Frederick Bhaer) and Ieuan Dolloway (Mr Laurence and Mr Samson) just draw you into the story and whisk you along through love, loss and laughter. 

I had in fact completely forgotten great chunks of the story, and much as I love a good book, especially a classic such as this, having the story unfold in front of your eyes by a troupe of expert players was an absolute delight.

I had decided that I couldn't pick any one of these actors out over the others, but I really must mention Becky, who along with Troy were last minute new cast member replacements. Becky played Amy and was incredibly believable as the twelve year old sister. The tantrums and excited bursts of unrestrained energy were quite refreshing, and a complete contrast to the more controlled behaviour of the mature sixteen-year-old writer Jo March, who also was not a stranger to lighter flashes in her life.

Directed by Antony Law, who created a lovely balance between light and shade in the emotion department. A lovely pace that meant the two hours of stage time was well utilised, keeping the audience's attention focused on the stage and story at all times. The stand alone set also meant that it created an additional two entrance/exit points, again keeping the entrances and exits smooth as one scene exited from one point with the next scene entering from another point.

The decision to have the stage separated by an entrance and exit point with the two different houses on either side, Laurence's decorated in blue, the March's kitchen area in green, straight away allowed the audience to differentiate between the two properties. The set dressed by Lou Jardine. 

The costumes were full of style and of the era; if you like period drama like "Downton", you will love this style. The wardrobe department consists of Helen Symonds, Holly Oldham and Pearl Constance.

The music used to seamlessly blend in the scenes were a mix of bluegrass, country, classical, baroque plus original music composed by Karen Dziuba.

The whole feel of this period piece of theatre was perfect; almost like watching one of those brilliant Sunday afternoon films on the BBC, and just as easy to fall into.

I'd not seen anything from Chapterhouse previously, as most of the time they specialise in "one night only" performances in their chosen venues, but I am so pleased that this fantastically entertaining group were brought to my attention, because I'll now be watching out for them in the future, and I'd advise any theatre lover to do the same.