By Eva Trieger
SAN DIEGO — I ask you, who can’t use an Austen romance in mid-July at the Old Globe theater in our bucolic Balboa Park? And to further entice even the most stalwart realist, an Austen script set to music is “exactly, precisely formed to engage my heart.”
With the sudden death of their father, Marianne (Megan McGinnis) and Elinor Dashwood (Sharon Reitkerk) find themselves wholly dependent upon their brother and his wife, the inheritors of Norland, the family estate. Spineless John (David Schlumpf) and the shrewish, Fanny Dashwood (Jill Van Velzer) Dashwood, behave as all good opportunists and mete out a petty allowance to their unmarried sisters, making them unlikely prospects to wed. Without a good dowry or bank account to woo a man, the young ladies have few options.
Tony award winning nominee, composer Paul Gordon, wrote the book, music and lyrics for this West Coast premiere of Sense and Sensibility. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater heralded the world premiere of this show in 2015, and many of Chicago’s cast performed here, joined by some of San Diego’s finest actors. Under the direction of Barbara Gaines, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, each character displays a wide array of human emotion. The lyrics and music deliver humor, passion, empathy and heartache as the romantic entanglements become knotted, frayed and retied.
True to form, Austen’s story provides a healthy dose of boy-meets-girl, girl-falls-in-love, boy-chooses-wealth-over-love, and eventually comes to his senses. In the case of the licentious Willoughby (Peter Saide), it’s too late. For Edward Ferrars (Wayne Alan Wilcox) the epiphany is timely. Elinor’s stoicism is ultimately rewarded by her love’s declaration. Despite her scorned heart, Marianne Dashwood recovers her health and perception and finally sees that Colonel Brandon (Sean Allan Krill) is her soulmate.
The sisters, though united in their heartache, are very different from one another. Elinor, the elder, is more reserved and plays it close to the vest, whereas the poetess, Marianne, wears her heart on her sleeve and in her expressive countenance. Where Elinor guards her emotions behind cautious words and proper etiquette, Marianne has “no patience for propriety and no use for decorum.” Her elation or despair exude from every pore, and when she is betrayed by Willoughby, her malaise becomes palpable.
Supporting actors deliver a gargantuan dollop of delight. Lord Middleton (Brian Ray Norris) and Mrs. Jennings (Paula Scrofano) are wonderful schemers in seeing the Dashwood sisters well matched with appropriate suitors. Their efforts and musical numbers are enchanting and charming. Lucy Steele (Emily Berman) as Elinor’s nemesis, is deliberately conspiratorial, drawing Elinor into her confidence while simultaneously dashing her hopes for a union with Edward. Due to Lucy’s exuberance, Elinor is hard put to mount any resistance.
But what’s a summer romance without a happy ending? Cupid intervenes, as he often does in Austen’s stories. Each sister winds up with her beshert in the end, and never were there four happier souls, celebrating their joy in sweet harmonious melodies.
The duet of Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Old Globe’s impressive staging, sets and costumes provides brilliant musical theater thanks to an extraordinary creative team: Rick Boynton, Laura Bergquist, Susan Mickey, Kevin Depinet and Donald Holder. The orchestration and musical arrangements are credited to Larry Hochman, Bruce Coughlin and Cutis Moore.
Sense and Sensibility runs through August 14, 2016 in the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theater. Tickets are available by phoning 619.23-GLOBE.
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)