“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love!”
Cheated of their rightful inheritance, the Dashwood sisters and their mother are forced from the comfort of their family home to live in a humble Devon cottage.
But the eminently sensible Elinor and the impulsive Marianne are nonetheless determined to find love, chasing their dreams to London and back again.
Jane Austen may have been writing her novels some two hundred years ago, but her themes of love and heartbreak, society and a woman’s place in it, the head versus the heart are universal and timeless.
Adaptations over the years range from the more traditional like Emma Thompson’s Oscar winning film of Sense and Sensibility to the more extreme such as 90s coming-of-age comedy Clueless (based on Emma) or the recent Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
Our SENSE AND SENSIBILITY director Kate Wilkins says ”Austen was clearly a great observer of people and life, and she created wonderful characters in all her novels. Jessica Swales’ adaptation presents lots of challenges, and we’ve had a wonderful time working our way through them and getting to love the characters and events that unfold.”
Jessica Swale’s charming, funny, and beautifully crafted adaptation was first presented at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre in 2014. It wrings every ounce of heartbreak, irony, and romance from this dearly-loved comedy of manners.
At the time Swale was hailed as “the stage’s brightest rising star” and she went on to win the Best New Comedy Olivier Award earlier this year for Nell Gwynn starring Gemma Arterton.
We are excited to present her fresh, funny and moving adaptation of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY next week. For Austen devotees, it will certainly delight and newcomers to her work will be captivated.