Now I'm the first to admit that I'm not a huge Jane Austen fan, but I have to say I was converted by the performance of Sense and Sensibility performed by the Oxford Theatre Guild. They had a very light touch. This was Jane Austen's first published work, which first appeared in 1811 under the pseudonym 'A Lady'. Set in Southwest England, London, and Kent, between 1792-1797, it was certainly a challenging undertaking for theatre.
The story tells of the Dashwood sisters who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to rely on family to provide for them after the death of their father. The only other alternative was to find a husband to provide for them. The 'sense' in the book, meaning good judgement, was identified in the character of Elinor Dashwood, played by Hannah Brooks. She gave a mesmerising performance. Her look was entirely in keeping with the times, and her voice held a clarity and warmth that made for easy listening. In contrast 'sensibility' meaning sensitive and emotional, was found in Marianne Dashwood (Kate O'Connor). Her performance was bordering on highly strung but played with tremendous humour. The youngest sister, Margaret Dashwood (Helen Kavanagh) was a sheer delight, and lit up the stage every time she appeared. She never stepped out of character for a minute. All three sisters portrayed a great love for one another while still managing to behave within the boundaries of their character's personality.
Then we have various love interests to add to the mix. Colonel Brandon (Phillip Cotterill) who adores Marianne, but is willing to step aside to allow her to find happiness with another. The cad, Mr Willoughby (Robert Cole) who nearly causes the undoing of Marianne, and Edward Ferrars (Alistair Nunn) who loves Elinor.
At one point during the performance we had the treat of seeing a real duel, with clashing swords, between the deceiving Mr Willoughby, and clean-cut Colonel Brandon. It was well executed and gave a thrill to the audience.
We also had the pleasure of attending a ball, complete with a dance of the time. My only criticism was that some of the dialogue during the ball scene was performed at the back of the stage and so couldn't be seen fully.
Minor characters took to the stage with flair and panache, each bringing something unique to the performance. The girl's mother (Clare Denton) was warm and loving, and not quite the caricature usually seen in Austen's works. The gossipy Mrs Palmer (Ida Persson) was outrageously nosy, which made for some laugh-out-loud moments.
The facial expressions and the dry one-liners kept the entertainment level at the high end and allowed the audience a feeling of involvement.
The set designed by Jacqui Lewis was simple, but used to great use. It did a great job of showing not only different places, but different time zones. The props were moved effortlessly into place by the actors so it became a seamless manoeuvre.
The performance was long and wordy, but the actors took it all in their stride and delivered over and above expectations. Great night.
