‘Little Women’ playwright finds story’s joy and passion in a tempestuous time

Hearing Lauren Gunderson speak about Louisa May Alcott’s semi-autobiographical novel “Little Women” is to hear the clarity and purpose she possesses in building her adaptation.

Gunderson, recently named the most produced playwright for the third time by American Theatre Magazine, didn’t have to search very far to find blatant connections between the Civil War era that Alcott depicted in her 1868 novel and societal struggles in today’s United States.

“The story is not lace and doilies and sitting comfortably by the fire,” Gunderson said. “They’re at war, their father might not come home and there’s a plague next door that’s killing the community. These are really high stakes, and these girls are growing up in this moment of American division and crisis, the real stress-testing of humanity