Whether it’s 2026 or 1868, some things never change: Teenage defiance, boy best friends catching feelings and childish squabbles with sisters. In “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women,” the four March sisters go through all of these things with a humorous, heartwarming edge.

The show, which opened at the Guthrie Theater April 23, blends Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel with fictional reflections from the author. Through family troubles and little victories, the show holds a mirror not only to Alcott and Jo’s similarities, but also to the timeless particularities of sisterhood.

The play centers around Jo March and her three sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, as they navigate through their final years as children and into adulthood. While domestic disagreements and societal pressures occasionally create rifts between the girls, they always return to one another with forgiveness and affection.

Rather than solely recreating the plot of the book, this adaptation by Lauren M. Gunderson leans into the autobiographical quality of “Little Women.” Isabella Star LaBlanc plays both Jo and Alcott, appearing on stage as the author to explain how she based the characters in her novel on her sisters, and Jo on herself.

The oldest sister, Meg, played by Stephanie Anne Bertumen, is sophisticated and responsible, acting as an anchor for her sisters. May Heinecke’s Beth is prone to illness and thoughtfulness, and her affinity for music makes her a quiet but respected presence. The youngest sister, Amy, played by Audrey Parker, has big dreams of society, art and romance, often butting heads with her big sister Jo, whose determination and drive for independence propel her beyond her hometown.

In addition to including Louisa May Alcott as a character, the play leans into its metatheatrical techniques by having the characters narrate their own thoughts and actions on top of their dialogue. 

At times, this looks like the March sisters reciting how they’re arranged on the couch while they read a letter from their father over their mother’s shoulder. In other instances, like when Jo first meets Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence, the March’s young and wealthy neighbor, played by Daniel Petzold, they speak their internal reactions aloud, giving viewers a peek into their minds.

The narration is both a strength and a weakness. While it paints a fuller picture of each character and gives the play an enjoyable bookish quality, it also means the actors do a lot of telling and not as much showing.

Still, the cast does a fantastic job of capturing the youthful, layered energies of the main characters.

LaBlanc brings out Jo’s nuances with conviction and tact. Torn between staying and leaving, love and independence, LaBlanc emboldens Jo to feel multiple emotions at once, always staying true to her beliefs even when it’s painful. She speaks her mind bluntly but lets her soft side show, especially when caring for Beth at the height of her sickness.

Petzold shapes Laurie into a playful, boyish charmer. He bounces around the stage, initiating secret handshakes with Jo one moment and saving Amy from a near-death experience the next. He delivers his lines with sincerity and humor, eliciting laughs from the audience throughout the show.

Amy especially grows into herself. By the end of the play, Parker has evolved Amy from the tween who ruins her sister’s manuscript in a rage into an educated, aware woman who’s found her place in the world.

Although the play is adapted from a 19th-century novel, the dialogue comes across as modern and easy to understand. Paired with the timeless themes of family, resilience and growth, the characters’ words feel familiar. 

The stage is transformed into a scene from a fairytale for this play. Trees reach into the rafters in the background, while patches of bright green grass bring a pop of color to the ground. The story takes place over years, and to signify the passage of time, leaves and blossoms of various seasonal colors fall from the ceiling onto the stage. 

For a story so focused on domestic scenes in the home, the image of the outdoors is a fresh — albeit slightly trivial — change. 

At the end of the play, LaBlanc steps back into Louisa May Alcott’s shoes and describes the impact of the novel “Little Women.” We learn that it not only provided for Alcott’s family’s well-being, but also gave generations of readers after her a story of girlhood and love. The novel has never gone out of print.

Regardless of whether you have sisters, the play is a fun reprieve from everyday life. You can buy tickets to see it at the Guthrie Theater until June 21.