Interview: Catherine Chalk on playing Beth in LITTLE WOMEN on tour

Anne-Marie Casey’s stage adaptation of Little Women commences its UK tour next month. We spoke to actress Catherine Chalk who plays Beth in this new take on the much-loved classic.

It's been over 150 years since Little Women was first published. Why do you think the story has remained so beloved over the decades?

I loved the story because it is such an honest portrayal of these women’s lives and encapsulates the many pains, frustrations, joys and sorrows that we all go through one way or another as we grow up. I think everyone can find themselves in one (or many) of these women, and I think any piece of work that allows you to feel seen in that way always tends to hold a special spot in an audience’s heart.

This play is a new adaptation by Anne-Marie Casey. What sort of fresh perspective do you think it offers?

I think the fact that this adaptation is a theatrical production already offers a fun and fresh perspective because audiences get to experience the chaos of these women’s lives along with us. I also think this adaptation really highlights the different generations of women, and we get to see far more from Aunt March which I really enjoy!

The character of Beth is often a reader and viewer favourite. What appealed to you about the role and how are you approaching it?

Beth is a wonderful character and it’s been great fun figuring her out. What appealed most to me is her sense of presence; I think she experiences life through a highly sensitive lens and so the most mundane of days are full of vividness and colour to her. Loveday [Ingram - Director] is a really collaborative director so I’ve had lots of freedom to play with different ideas, weaving them in with what the other women are bringing, to hopefully create something audiences will really enjoy.

Did you read Little Women as a child or teenager? Are there any other books that you would love to see adapted for the stage?

I hadn’t previously read Little Women. The first version I saw was Greta Gerwig's film adaptation which I loved, but as there is obviously so much of the book you can’t fit into any adaptation, I had a great time reading it in preparation for this show. As for a book I’d love to see adapted for stage, it’s slightly rogue but I’m obsessed with Patti Smith’s book ‘Just Kids’. Her writing and the events that take place feel so inherently theatrical to me, and coupled with her brilliant music and extraordinary life, I think it would make an awesome and inspiring show!

What do you hope audiences will take away from this production?

I don’t know that I would hope for audiences to take away anything specific from the show - I think that’s part of the joy, everyone will have such different experiences. So perhaps just that audiences will leave smiling, and inspired to hug their sisters and loved ones a little tighter.

Little Women opens at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry on 19 March before touring until June.