Sense And Sensibility At The Little Theatre Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Lindsay Burton
Sense and Sensibility stands as a brilliant example of why Jane Austen remains such a towering figure in English literature, blending sharp social insight with enduring emotional depth. And last night was my 12-year-old daughter’s first time watching anything originally created by this pioneer of the modern novel.
The Little Theatre in Leicestershire is currently showcasing this production, adapted by Jessica Swale. It’s fair to assume most theatre-goers already know the broad outline of Sense and Sensibility, so there’s little need to revisit the full narrative; instead, it’s more interesting to highlight how the production brings out the tension between Elinor’s composure and Marianne’s emotional intensity, and how that contrast plays out on stage.
Mrs Dashwood (Mary Delahunty), Miss Elinor Dashwood (Rose Adams), Miss Marianne Dashwood (Jacqueline Ardron), and Miss Margaret Dashwood (Amélie Wilson-Knight) are introduced right from the start, and we immediately get to see each one’s personality, which is so very well portrayed by these four actresses. Each one making the role their very own, we quickly get to see Elinor’s strong sense of responsibility, Marianne’s impulsive nature and Margaret’s youth and love of nature around her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this production and I think the actors were cast incredibly well. They showed some exceptional talent especially the likes of key characters – David Knight (Edward / Robert Ferrars), Bhav Bhalla (John Willoughby) and Tom Young (Colonel Brandon) made some formidable love interests for the young sisters. Darren Hawes (Thomas Palmer) created quite a few laughs even though he didn’t get to say much thanks to his very talkative and loud wife Charlotte Palmer (played by Gemma Wright). And then Molly Georgina made a formidable Fanny Dashwood – I really dislike the character as her presence which I realise was why Austen wrote her to be like this – her presence really makes the Dashwood’s lives pretty miserable but that definitely speaks volumes about the brilliance of the actress fully becoming her character! Ketna Butrôn (Mrs Jennings), Piers Flavin (Sir John Middleton), Gemma Wright (Mrs Charlotte Palmer), James Richard (John Dashwood), Carolos Dandolo (Thomas) and Adam Jones (Dr Harris) added to the enthusiastic cast and very much contributed to the show being enjoyable and effective.
The set design by Anna Field was kept pretty simple and this allowed the characters to freely move around the stage. One could imagine the cast expanse of their original abode and the change of the size when simply the piano was removed. The costume design by John Bale, who also happens to be the producer, was true to the style of the time and, together with the set design, led to the success of this production.
Overall, it’s a tale of emotional growth. Learning when to exercise restraint, when to be open with emotions, and how to handle love and disappointment in a calmer, more balanced and realistic manner.
My daughter and I rate this show as 4/5. Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is currently on until the 9th of May at the Little Theatre in Leicester. Tickets start at £17 and can be purchased from here.
Rating: 4/5