It was a fast forward and rewind enacted synopsis of Jane Austen’s plays from go to woe on the opening night. The audience was in for a charming, funny and rapid view of Austen’s women and men outlining the stupidity of Regency society through to pointing out that for most women of that era, it was ‘marriage or poverty’. Definitely read at least a couple of her novels for her ironic view and wonderful language on family and economic values. Best of all, the play is about real sisterhood and friendship through trials, tribulations and at times love and hope.
The set was a cartoon version of a Regency living room with the obligatory chaise lounge. Heidi Jilwan and Georgia Britt set the scene, breaking the ‘fourth wall’ and addressing the audience. Wearing Empire style dresses, bonnets and hairstyles they set to debating which was the best novel. As the audience settled, the immediate problem of a missing leading man was solved by a willing replacement actor ‘from the audience’.
Enter the actor, Peter Hoekstra-Bass, who quickly highlighted that he didn’t have a clue about Austen’s work but ‘needed the gig’. This was wonderful for any audience members who equally hadn’t had any information or who had only watched the television series, Bridgeton.
The ensemble had a great natural chemistry as if they were all best friends. Each actor portrayed different characters in the book with asides to what their modern personality really thought.
Bonnets and top hats were used to depict new characters and each actor changed style and attitude depending on the book. Peter was at times, convincingly dashing as Darcy or painful as a parson clumsily professing love. Both Heidi and Georgia were witty, ditzy and lovestruck as each female character came alive with explanations to Peter why women reacted to the wrong man at the wrong time and how long self-reflection takes before they realise with whom they should be in love. Peter was both wonderfully bewildered and superb when putting on a hat altered his persona and posture.
Heidi and Georgia were convincing as best friends who were trying to understand Austen’s view of women, marriage and what choices they could or couldn’t make.
Through Ali Bendall’s tight direction, the messages and wit of Austen came out quickly as each farce, family and affair were rapidly thrown out to the audience to make of it what they would and adding modernisms and comparisons to modern love and female issues. This could be frustrating at times with clunky text and perhaps breaking the fourth wall too often. The audience laughed and clapped as the cast pushed us along to make sense of it all and it really didn’t matter anyway as Austen herself, through the character of Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, said, “We are all fools in love.”
To book tickets to The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged), please visit https://genesiantheatre.com.au/events/the-complete-works-of-jane-austen-abridged/.
