This two-hour adaptation was inspired by Jane Austen and Emma Thompson's wonderful screenplay. It emphasizes the comedy but without losing the essence of the story. The script even uses Jane's own words in parts. The narrator is portrayed by seven actors portraying gossips. Perhaps they're servants, perhaps neighbors. They relay pertinent information such as Mr. Dashwood's death and how that affects the ladies and why. I appreciated the explanation for those who may not know the story as well as I do.
The actors mostly all play multiple roles regardless of gender. Elinor and Marianne are the only two who don't play more than one part. The costumes took some getting used to. They're meant to be silly and over-the-top for the most part. The gossips wear their undergarments on the outside and not specifcially period undergarments but period inspired : fancy Victorian style corsets and panniers; some wore more modern clothing and the Dashwood sisters wore sort of prom dresses with Elinor changing outer robes to mimic the Regency style.
The gossips talk really fast and over one another sometimes. I found it difficult to understand them at first. I also found it hard to understand Marianne in the beginning. She speaks very fast. The Dashwood sisters in this production are Latina and refer to each other as "querida", a Spanish term of endearment. I thought that was very sweet and added an extra element to the love story between the two sisters. The play is pretty faithful to the novel. Of course a lot is removed for time constraints but when time passes, the gossips prance around on stage with hand painted signs stating "time passes" or "One month later." I would recommend they slow down and show the signs to the whole audience because people sitting around me had trouble seeing them and I couldn't see what was on one sign. It's not super important but for those who don't know the story, they might want to know time is passing!
This adaptation discusses sense vs. sensibility and keeps the sisters' personalities and conversations mostly in tact. Marianne is a lover of nature, poetry, plain speaking and is a whirlwind of energy. Elinor is not as patient as she is in the novel. Sometimes she sounded on the verge of losing her temper with her sister instead of keeping all her feelings tramped down.
Mrs. Dashwood is reduced to only a few scenes in which she is idle and eating biscuits from a tin. Margaret, portrayed by a petite woman, is very cute. She gives the impression of youth by her dialogue- wanting to see puppies and teasing her sisters about their beaux. F- his name begins with an F! I completely believed she was a child. The other two sisters I felt didn't quite click with their characters as much but I couldn't see either of them trading roles.
Sir John Middleton and Mrs. Jennings pop in and out with their customary energy and loudness. Sir John is portrayed as somewhat effeminate. Watch for his hounds because I nearly died laughing. The actors nailed bad dog behavior. Look down on the floor and watch the hounds and not the people. Trust me! Unless you don't like doggy antics. They only appear twice. Mrs. Jennings is a loud, nosy gossip just as she is in the book. The actress is small but her hat gives her the impression of being a larger older woman. Lady Middleton appears in a few scenes played by a different person each time. She hides under a mop of curly hair and offers little to the conversation. As in Emma Thompson's version, her annoying children are left out of the story.
Lucy and Anne Steele are played by members of the company who also portray gossips. Lucy wears undergarments as clothes but Anne is played by a male actor in non-Regency female attire and a wig. Anne is hilariously stupid and Lucy is a little less catty than in the novel. She prefers more direct confrontation, getting up in Elinor's face. Her secret is revealed much sooner than it is in the novel and so poor Elinor suffers longer. Poor Edward is drawn from Hugh Grant's portrayal. He's shy, awkward, bumbling and can't always spit out the right words and his poetry recital does not meet with Marianne's approval. (FYI: Jane Austen's favorite poet, Cowper, is pronounced like Cooper.)
The finale was inspired by Emma Thompson's with a really funny twist. Edward seems to have been evesdropping on other gentlemen of our aquaintance. I think I was the only one who picked up on that, at least enough to guffaw loudly.
Col. Brandon was the most believable and true to the original. He was the straight man to the comedic extras. Even though the actor played multiple roles, I feel he was best as Col. Brandon. I had forgotten he was also a gossip, the characters were as opposite as Elinor and Marianne. The same actor also played Thomas, the servant at the end of the story who provides some gossip that finally makes Elinor break down. Again, the actor was transformed into a totally new person. For some reason, the story of Col. Brandon's lost love was changed and the name of her daughter was also changed. It's a shorter explanation but doesn't quite make as much sense as the original plot. Also, where's the duel between Col. Brandon and Willougby? GONE!
Fanny and John Dashwood are played for laughs. He's a foppish man in 1970s clothing who loves his wife and gets turned on by her nastiness. She manages to convince him not to do anything for his sisters. It's a shorter speech than in the novel but conveys the same meaning. The actress also played a gossip and there was little distinction between them. The scene where Fanny learns of Lucy's secret is a full on fight scene! It's different but funny. No Regency lady would behave in such a manner though.
The actor portraying John Dashwood also plays Willoughby. He's handsome and smarmy, not as charming as the original. His story is tweaked slightly to make him more caddish. He even shows up at Marianne's near deathbed totally drunk. Marianne is informed of his perfidy shortly after that.
One scene I especially liked was the masquerade ball in London where Marianne is searching for Willoughby before she finally sees him. The music sounded appropriate and the dance looked inspired by the movie version of 19th-century dancing. I think the soundtrack was courtesy of Bridgerton soundtrack stars Vitamin String Quartet or someone similar. I recognized pop music in the faster piece they danced to. Regency Lady Gaga anyone? The scene, where Marianne refuses to dance, effectively conveys her distress and obsession with Willoughby.
The sets were very simple but fancy wasn't necessary. I liked the piano painted onto a box. It worked just fine. The magic of theater is using your imagination and let the acting and dialogue weave a spell around you.
I saw the show in previews and it had a few kinks to work out but overall is ready for an audience to come and be entertained.
