Sense and Sensibility
Adapted for the stage by Charles Robertson
Jane Austen's delightful use of language is brought to life on the stage.
Two sisters; the cerebral Elinor and the passionate Marianne find themselves manipulated out of the family fortune and set adrift in society. With class and intelligence, they deal with their unfortunate circumstances and it is only when Marianne discovers logic and Elinor discovers passion that they find success in their private lives.
Elinor holds her emotions and her heart in check as the shy Edward Farrars must battle his controlling mother and an arranged marriage for Elinor's hand. Elinor is the victim of the scheming Lucy Steele who swears Elinor to secrecy about her romantic plans with Edward.
Marianne finds herself in a relationship with the dashing John Willoughby who proves less than meets the eye as he discards her like a once favourite coat. After a desperate illness, she sees the logic of true love with the loyal Colonel Brandon, who has less dash but more substance.
This stage adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved story focuses on Marianne and Elinor Dashwood's romantic exploits, foregoing other delicious pursuits in the book, because condensing a novel into a play means much that means so much to the reader of the novel must be discarded. It is an unenviable position for any writer to find themselves in. On a more positive note, Austen's language is kept as intact as possible and only minor changes made to forward the plot or condense the locations of this sprawling novel.
jane Austen wrote six novels, Sense and Sensibility being the first. Originally titled Elinor and Marianne, the book has never been out of print. The daughter of a clergyman, Austen was schooled at home, but there was a wealth of books in the home for young Jane to nurture her imagination. Her brothers had served during the Napoleonic Wars and brought the wide world to the Austen home.
Austen was exposed to the upper classes through her brother Edward who had been adopted by a wealthy family. She based a lot of her writings on that experience.
Her health began to fail at a relatively early age and she died at the age of 41. She had been working on another novel at the time. What timeless novels have we been robbed of due to her early death?
Jane Austen Society. Besides constant reprinting, Janbe Austen's spirit is also kept alive by the Jane Austen societies that exist in North America, Britain and Australia.
