Sense and Sensibility

I love Austen’s novels and must admit to anxiety about seeing an adaptation. However, my fears were ill-founded as this production is fabulous.  Kate Hamill’s adaptation is true to the spirit of Austen, and the production is fast-paced, extremely funny and clever.

Sense and Sensibility is a truly ensemble piece, with actors playing multiple roles with extremely quick changes of costume and a praise-worthy show of fabulous acting. Nathan O’Keefe as Edward Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, Lady Middleton, Gossip and Servant moved seamlessly between roles, which varied from the naturalism of the scenes between Edward and Elinor and the exaggerated melodrama of Lady Middleton. Anna Steen as Elinor, Sense and Miranda Daughtry as Marianne, Sensibility were the only members of the cast who did not change character and this grounded the play as the whirlpool of events and emotions tumbled around them. 

The use of a chorus of gossips was inspired; the ensemble members, wearing pink bonnets with feathers, stirred up situations, commented and moved the story along, letting us know what had happened off stage and how it was being received by the wider world. Gossip and back-stabbing was very much alive and well in the 18^th century just as it is today. Ravell, Burke, Edward, Falkland, March, Mignone and O’Keefe were wonderful. My only negative is that I found Rashidi Edward hard to understand.

The set and scene changes must take a bow of their own, as tables and props whizzed on and off the stage with speed and accuracy. The use of posters carried by actors by a range of methods, which I don’t want to give away and spoil the fun, helped the audience to know where in space and time they were. There were some nice jokes between a character and the audience about the props, such as the teacups and teapot, which were all firmly glued to the tray. Congratulations to the backstage crew who were as seamless off stage as the actors were on stage.

The set designed by Ailsa Patterson was perfect; setting as it does the play in the 18^th century style but hiding secrets within it and allowing for constant transformations without changing it. I loved the feather chandelier. Patterson’s designs for the costumes were lovely, the silhouette and features of the 18^th century with tongue-in-cheek extras often providing yet another layer of humour to the whole show.

The music, arranged by Stuart Day and often played, sung and whistled by the cast, added a commentary on the action and kept the pace and the humour going. This was another area where there was an nod to the fact that the audience was not from the 18^th century and so pieces were chosen that were known to the audience and acted as an immediate shorthand for a situation because of their connection to a different situation.

Congratulations to Geordie Brookman for his direction, which was both creative and controlled. This production while pushing the limits did not stretch them too far and also provided many beautiful and poignant scenes, where the audience was totally in sympathy with the characters. Like Austen, who is often described as a master miniaturist who produced perfect portraits of a small group of society, so too Brookman has created a series of beautifully organised vignettes.

Go and see this production, you will have a fabulous evening out.

Sally Putnam

Photographer: Chris Herzfeld