I submit to the wisdom of LiveJournal

So, I've been asked to step in as a replacement for Professor Bhaer in the local production of Little Women, and I've got to confess I know NOTHING about the story. I always just assumed that it was basically The Facts of Life set in the 1800s. Looking at IMdB, however, I noticed that there are some relatively famous actors who've played the role over the years:

[Poll #1170890]

Any insight into the story, or the character, or snarky comments would be much appreciated.

Especially if, you know, you've actually read the book.