Jane Austen’s enduring popularity is reflected in the countless adaptations of the novelist’s work. The pop-culture cornucopia includes films, TV shows, comic strips — there are even references to Austen in video games.
And there are, of course, oodles of theatrical adaptations. New York’s Bedlam Theatre is renowned for its lively, irreverent takes on the classics, including Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Langham Court Theatre has just opened its own version of Bedlam’s romp, adapted by Kate Hamill.
Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility is certainly an ambitious project for any community theatre. This Victoria cast of varying abilities has mixed success with it. At the same time, the production, continuing to March 17, does offer its share of fun and drama — and might have special appeal to Austen aficionados.
Sense and Sensibility centres on sisters Marianne (Michelle Mitchell) and Elinor (Helena Descoteau) Dashwood, who find themselves impoverished after the death of their father. (In an opening scene we get a sense of Hamill’s gonzo approach, as Daddy Dashwood’s corpse drops from the flies to a table with a thump.)
What follows is a delectable brew of soap-opera intrigue. Marianne is courted and then mysteriously dropped by the caddish Willoughby (Brian Quakenbush). Meanwhile, Elinor’s would-be beau, Edward (James Johnson), turns out to be a bit of a bounder as well.
Hamill’s zany, bare-bones approach is revived in this production, directed by former Bastion Theatre artistic director Keith Digby. There are little puppet shows, one of them with dogs. A pair of actors become a human horse carriage. Other performers push around windows and brandish faux foliage to create sets for short, TV-like scenes.
It’s technically demanding stuff. Digby, an experienced hand, has navigated the 13-member cast through it with aplomb.
A preview performance on Wednesday revealed both strengths and weaknesses. Mitchell captured Marianne Dashwood’s impetuousness and emotional volubility — all the more impressive as the actor was suffering from flu on this night. Another bright spot was Quakenbush, who as Willoughby displayed a strong, theatrical stage presence.
Descoteau showed promise as Elinor, the calm, “good” sister. She particularly shone in dramatic scenes, although at times her performance was too subdued to fully project across the footlights.
As Margaret, the third Dashwood, 14-year-old Juliana Monk offered a sparky, delightful performance.
Johnson’s portrayal of Edward seemed rather awkward and tentative, as though he were still trying to find the character. Carl Powell as the virtuous but dull Col. Brandon was rather wooden; happily, this improved somewhat as the play progressed.
This reinvention of Sense and Sensibility requires unwavering energy to truly soar — something that flagged in Act II.
Capturing the correct tone is no easy task. Hamill has concocted an unorthodox mix of broad comedy and melodrama that requires considerable cleverness to pull off.
The Langham crew struggled somewhat with this — however, the show will likely become more cohesive as the run progresses.
It’s time to plan for one of Victoria’s most exciting annual theatre events. The Belfry Theatre mounts the 2018 SPARK Festival from March 8 to 25.
This year’s lineup is an especially dynamic one. One highlight is Canadian theatre bad-boy Daniel MacIvor performing his darkly comic show Who Killed Spalding Gray? Gray was a famed monologist who committed suicide 14 years ago by jumping off the Staten Island Ferry.
Another interesting offering is True Crime. Created by actor Torquil Campbell with live music by Julian Brown, True Crime is inspired by the true case of a con man who called himself Clark Rockefeller, now serving a life sentence in California. He pretended to be a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family. As well as duping and marrying a successful businesswoman, he was convicted for a 1985 murder.
Tickets for SPARK are now on sale at the Belfry Theatre (250-385-6815).
Kaleidoscope Theatre promises a blend of European and Pacific Northwest folklore with a new adaptation of Pinocchio, playing March 10 and 11 at the McPherson Playhouse.
For this familiar yarn about the boy whose nose grows each time he fibs, Kaleidoscope artistic director Roderick Glanville has teamed with longtime pal Dean Heron, a Kaska/Tlingit artist. In their version, Pinocchio wants to learn and be “good,” but is tempted into mischief by a series of tricksters.
Tickets for Pinocchio are $22 for adults and $12 for children. They are now on sale at the Royal/McPherson box office (250-386-6121).
