17 Jul 2024
Deborah Heath is enchanted by OVO and Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s visionary production at this year’s Roman Theatre Festival…
I will readily admit that before attending this beautiful production of ‘Sense and Sensibility” I had forgotten how good a Jane Austen story is; I hadn’t read one since I was young and idealistic.
As a teenager, I was mesmerised by the BBC adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and not just because of the brooding Colin Firth.
It made me realise that Jane Austen wasn’t a stuffy out-dated writer, but someone with knack for creating engaging characters and sexual and romantic tension alongside witty dialogue and observations about the society she lived in.
Adapting playwright Francs Poet explains: “Austen is exploring how women deal with bereavement and heartbreak in a world in which they have very little control”.
For although the situation for women has changed, there is a point of identification and resonance for every reader despite their gender; family tensions, money worries and the need for love. This choice from OVO and the Pitlochry Theatre was an obvious winner and played to a packed auditorium.
The design in this production was exceptional from Nick Trueman’s grand and versatile set to Julie Carlin’s historically accurate costumes.
Both were elevated by Jeanine Byrne’s lighting, for instance the spectacular stone pillars which defined the playing area became glowing columns of light as the night grew darker, intensifying the action for the audience. Sound too (Pippa Murphy) was very well-executed and the music, sometimes live, sometimes recorded was perfectly arranged by Adam Morris.
For those not familiar with the story, our younger heroine Marianne, is a keen pianist and rather like my younger son plays romantic pieces with great feeling, often a little too loud and at times that are inconvenient to everyone else.
The piano becomes an important tool in the plot of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and thus it was absolutely correct that the modern songs and music chosen for this production were supported by a lavish piano accompaniment.
I am always delighted to see actor musicians strut their stuff and Connor Going who played Mr Ferrars with aplomb proved himself to be an excellent pianist too. The whole cast demonstrated their powerful singing voices too with some moving harmonies such as “Paradise” by Coldplay.
Lola Aluko was an engaging Marianne throughout and Kirsty Findlay as Elinor, the more serious sister, showed the depths of her own suffering whilst keeping a stuff upper lip – this is not always easy to do. There was a fair among of role doubling which was well handled. Chris Coxon was equally at home as the wet brother John and good egg Colonel Brandon.
Nina Kristofferson played the villain of the piece, sister-in-law Fanny, with such an edge that she provoked gasps and even some quiet booing from the audience. However, she also mastered the gregarious Mrs Jennings. Luke Wilson, playing the handsome Mr Willoughby took away not only the breath of the main characters but some of the audience too, commanding the mysterious power of the character.
Signe Larsson did an excellent job of playing two very contrasting characters – the bereaved and sensible mother and the foolish young cousin Lucy Steele. The most interesting role-doubling choice was to cast Robin Simpson who mastered the character of generous benefactor Sir John Middleton and also played the cantankerous old biddy Mrs Ferras.
I note from the programme that Robin is a regular pantomime dame and is clearly very talented in this regard. I just wasn’t sure whether the this doubling quite fitted with the overall vibe. I was impressed with the actors’ stillness while they waited in the wings rather than leaving the stage area. This was no mean feat as there were some particularly irritating midges flapping around that evening, delighted as I was by the stage lighting.
Director Adam Nichols put his trademark stamp on this production. He is a visionary who can take a classic text and reimagine it for a modern audience using all theatrical elements at his disposal, bringing out pertinent themes whilst never losing sight of character and story. Combined with Frances Poet’s outstanding adaptation, the talented cast and technical crew, this production of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is a must-see show. I had forgotten how clever and funny the story was and I thank the OVO/Pitlochry Theatre collaboration for reminding me how great Jane Austen is!
Photos by Fraser Band.
