The title is Sense and Sensibility, but \u2013 judging from a preview performance of White Rock Players Club\u2019s current production of Kate Hamill\u2019s Jane Austen adaptation \u2013 it could just as well be Style vs. Substance.<\/p>\n
An entertaining show \u2013 with a lot of talented performers on display \u2013 it nonetheless struck an uneasy balance between the kind of theatrical stylization Hamill is famous for (modern interpretations, free-flowing staging, flexible settings, character doubling, caricature poses for the show\u2019s gaggle of Regency society gossips, ensemble members trotting as horses for a couple of suggested carriage rides, and barking as rambunctious dogs in another scene) \u2013 and the deeply felt emotional sincerity at the core of Austen\u2019s story.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not that either approach is wrong \u2013 and ever-audacious director Alaina Holland does create some quite delightful moments of stylization, including those well-managed carriage rides \u2013 it\u2019s simply that, in a show of this kind, they have to find a way to co-exist on the same stage.<\/p>\n
As it was at the preview, emotional substance ultimately came out the winner \u2013 making for a much more satisfying, and involving, second act.<\/p>\n
In fairness to Holland and her cast, part of this may be down to the playwright feeling compelled to repeat some of the same tricks that worked so well for her in her version of Pride and Prejudice \u2013 which, as an intrinsically more lighthearted piece, lent itself more to that type of treatment.<\/p>\n
Then again, the desired balance may well have already clicked in at some point during the first week of the run.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m hoping that this is also true for my other major criticism of the preview performance, that clarity and projection of lines (not just volume) suffered, in a desire to achieve a more naturalistic (or cinematic) approach, including overlapping dialogue, multiple conversations and chaotic tableaux competing for attention.<\/p>\n
But the stage is the stage, and, in the hands of relatively inexperienced actors, such approach can result in lines that, especially if blurted in a breathless babble, simply fail to land.<\/p>\n
Thus it was that a handful of actors during the preview of Sense and Sensibility were clearly understood and appreciated at all times, while others required intensive listening \u2013 something of a task, given the median age of a WRPC audience.<\/p>\n
Again, in fairness, comprehension wasn\u2019t helped by the tendency of a few spectators to provide their own running commentary on the action (perhaps that kind of lapse in audience etiquette should be addressed, at some point, in WRPC\u2019s usual warning about turning off potential noise-emitters?)<\/p>\n
The strongest element of this show, the emotional substance, is a result of Holland\u2019s adept handling of acting talent.<\/p>\n
Much of the weight rests on the utterly capable shoulders of Ally Rafter. She delivers a quietly moving portrayal as eldest Dashwood daughter Elinor, who struggles to maintain a seemly composure while daily assaulted by grief of mourning, loss of family home, romantic disappointment, and intrusive and unwanted confidences.<\/p>\n
Even in absolute silence, Rafter speaks volumes about Elinor\u2019s heartaches, and it\u2019s a performance to cherish.<\/p>\n
Mallory Hema also carries a lot of the show as impetuous and headstrong middle daughter Marianne \u2013 once she got past some early gabbling, she achieved some definitely touching scenes portraying Marianne\u2019s romantic suffering, and increasing emotional maturity.<\/p>\n
Alejandro Montoto Francescena makes a notably strong debut on the White Rock stage as Elinor\u2019s frustratingly tongue-tied romantic interest, Edward Ferrars \u2013 achieving just the right balance between comedy and sincerity. In addition, he seamlessly morphs into Edward\u2019s appallingly pompous brother Robert, also to great comedic effect.<\/p>\n
As the Marianne-smitten Colonel Brandon, experienced player Duncan Minett ably interprets the quiet stoicism of the older ex-military man; while Fred Partridge paints a well-judged portrait of the patronizing moral cowardice of half-brother John Dashwood, who, manipulated by his wife Fanny (Amanda Wong) essentially deprives his stepmother and the Dashwood girls of their rightful inheritance.<\/p>\n
Wong, on target as the imperious, judgemental Fanny, also doubles as the object of Fanny\u2019s ire, naive and maladroit Lucy Steel (an unsuitable suitor for her brother Edward) delivering one of the other memorable performances in Sense and Sensibility. <\/p>\n
Indeed, Wong\u2019s hilarious solo physical altercation between her two characters (complete with slaps, punches and throttling gestures) is almost worth the price of admission alone.<\/p>\n
Destin Amisi is, perhaps, a little short of the mark in portraying the insolent, \u201cbad boy\u201d charm of John Willoughby, but he is highly effective in portraying the quieter contrition of the character in later scenes.<\/p>\n
Kay Knighting \u2013 of authentically British tones \u2013 makes a strong contribution as affable Sir John Middleton and the Doctor, well complemented by Bree Lemckert as gossipy Mrs. Jennings, particularly in her solo scenes.<\/p>\n
Eileen Rothe (as Mrs. Dashwood), Miri Grad (as youngest Dashwood sister Margaret), Rabiah Dhaliwal (Lady Middleton, Mrs. Ferrars) and Charlize Matheson (Anne Steel) all have their moments to shine and make the most of them.<\/p>\n
Also notable in Charles Buettner and Peter Godman\u2019s production are the Regency-period-appropriate costuming of Laura McKenzie and her loyal crew, and the set design of Holland, the evocative scenic painting of Sophie Angelopoulos and set decoration of Lori Tych.<\/p>\n
Sense and Sensibility continues to May 10 (for tickets, call 604-536-7535 or visit whiterockplayers.ca).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The title is Sense and Sensibility, but \u2013 judging from a preview performance of White Rock Players Club\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638193,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,163792,87674],"class_list":["post-638192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-lower-mainland","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}