Loved by generations of women worldwide, Little Women is a truly universal coming-of-age story. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the story follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, Marmee, and while their father is away at war, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from sibling rivalry and first love, to loss and marriage.
The anticipated new Masterpiece adaptation of this classic story comes to CPTV on Sunday, May 13, 2018, from 8 to 9 p.m., and continues on Sunday, May 20, 2018, from 8 to 10 p.m.
BAFTA Award winner Emily Watson (The Theory of Everything, Genius) will play Marmee. Newcomer Maya Hawke takes the role of willful and adventurous Jo; Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series, Misfortune) will play the eldest daughter, Meg; Annes Elwy (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams) will play Beth; and Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies, Halt and Catch Fire) takes the role of the youngest sister, Amy.
Academy Award winner Dame Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, The Manchurian Candidate) will play the cantankerous Aunt March. BAFTA Award winner Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, Churchill’s Secret) takes the role of their benevolent neighbor Mr. Laurence, and Jonah Hauer-King (Howards End, The Last Photograph) will play his grandson Laurie Laurence, the charming boy next door.
Little Women on Masterpiece is adapted by Heidi Thomas (the award-winning creator of Call the Midwife), and directed by Vanessa Caswill (Thirteen, My Mad Fat Diary).
“Little Women is one of the most-loved novels in the English language, and with good reason,” said Thomas. “Its humanity, humor, and tenderness never date, and as a study of love, grief, and growing up it has no equal. There could be no better time to revisit the story of a family striving for happiness in an uncertain world.”
A celebration of family as much as it is a recognition of the challenges of growing up and forging an individual identity, Little Women remains relevant due to the universal themes at its core. This adaptation doesn’t shy away from tackling the darker, more complex emotions the March family experiences. Drawing from a novel that was well ahead of its time, Little Women speaks to current issues as much as it does to the issues women faced at the turn of the 20th century.
For more on Little Women on Masterpiece, including behind-the-scenes videos and more, click here>>.