Hope for Breakfast intertwines the beloved story of Little Women with what actually went on in the family life of the novel's author, Louisa May Alcott. Living in the intellectual hub of Massachusetts, circa 1840, young Louisa strives to keep her family together and safe from starvation, despite the harebrained schemes of her father, the Transcendentalist philosopher Bronson Alcott, who has sworn off working for money. At points of unbearable tension, Louisa retreats to an imaginary world -- the harmonious family life of her novel, Little Women -- whose publication ultimately leads to a precipitous and ironic rise in her real family's fortunes.
- Drama
- |
- 130 - 145 minutes
- 5 W, 5 M, (10-13 actors possible: exactly 5 W, 5-8 M)
Set: Flexible setting that evokes Hillside House in Concord, Fruitlands commune in rural Massachusetts, and basement living quarters in Boston, all circa 1840.
