Originally meant to premier in spring of 2020, the IRT’s production of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility was cancelled due to the shutdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indianapolis audiences can enjoy this showcase of one of Austen’s finest novel on the stage through October 9, without a mask.
In a different time and place, women were thrown to the mercies of men and their money and influence. In 1811, Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility (with the author given as “A Lady” because it was unseemly for a woman to write a novel), met with critical approval and has remained in print ever since. Freshly widowed, Mrs. Dashwood (Elizabeth Laidlaw) must mourn the loss of her beloved husband and the father of her three daughters Elinor (Helen Joo Lee), Margaret (Claire Kashman), and Marianne (Cereyna Jade Bougouneau). Her late husband’s son from his first marriage John (Ron E. Rains) and his mean-spirited wife Fanny (Devan Mathias) unceremoniously displace them from the only home they’ve ever known and a tiny amount of money to sustain them. They are kindly taken in by her cousin, Sir John Middleton (Rains again), his wife and the vivacious Mrs. Jennings (Priscilla Lindsay). There, we meet John Willoughby (Nate Santana) who attracts Marianne, Edward Ferrars (Casey Hoekstra) who is Fanny Dashwood’s brother and is attracted to Elinor, and Colonel Brandon (Le Shawn Banks), who is attracted to Marianne. The youngest daughter Margaret is interested in all sorts of science and creepy critters, which brings about some merry moments in the midst of all the romantic twists and turns of the Dashwood girls.
Through all the turns of fate, Sense and Sensibility stays focused on the lush emotional lives of the Dashwood girls, and the tension they lived under to find good marriages to men who could support them. It was the reality of the life that women lived under at the time, with constant stress that they would be ruined forever financially and socially — that the only real power they had in their lives was this one choice.
The production is driven by outstanding performances from the cast, especially by Helen Joo Lee as Elinor, and Casey Hoekstra as Edward Ferrars and his twin Robert, plus Priscilla Lindsay as Mrs. Jennings. The young Claire Kashman is also noteworthy for her confident turn as Margaret. Ron E. Rains switches roles effortlessly, as does Devan Mathias in her several characters. Director Peter Amster’s obvious love for Austen helps shape the production into a love letter for the Dashwoods and Jane’s enormous gift to the literary world.
The scenery designer Ann Sheffield chose a simple and versatile backdrop, with sliding sub-stages to pull characters in and out of the action. Projections by designer Mike Tutaj feature classic English countryside scenes, in the style of Turner, or vibrant London cityscapes, as the scenes unfold.
Sense and Sensiblity is a great experience for those who loved the novel (and the movies), and for those who are just beginning to read Austen’s body of work.
