While this production takes an unhurried amount of time to find its feet, it builds and builds into something genuinely joyous and finishes far higher than it begins.
The advantage of Austen is that, at one point or another, almost every theatregoer will have come across her, whether through the HSC, the BBC, or Colin Firth emerging from a lake. For those who for some reason or another have not, the conceit here, devised by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast and Meghan Winch, is a play within a play. Two devoted Janeites, Charlotte (Georgia Britt) and Jessica (Heidi Jilwan), are staging the entire canon when they lose a cast member, and are obliged to press the wholly unprepared Trevor (Peter Hoekstra-Bass) into service. What follows is six plots, several dozen characters, and a sustained argument about which novel is best, conducted largely through headwear.
Thankfully, there were no disasters other than the ones the writers intended. While the calibre of the production, directed by Ali Bendall, was high, it was hard to escape the impression that the opening should have been pruned more ruthlessly. The premise requires establishing, but not at this length, and the first stretch is spent explaining a joke the audience has grasped within ninety seconds. Tightened, this could comfortably run ninety minutes straight through, and it should; the comedy here is cumulative, working by accelerating, and an interval means the cast must climb the same hill twice.
When all is said and done however, this is a production that crescendos, with some particular performances worth highlighting. Peter Hoekstra-Bass is the engine of the piece; his bumbling is a feat of real technical control, being a man playing a man who cannot act while acting extremely well. Similarly, Jilwan brings a giddy, gossiping fervour that is instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever been cornered at a party by a fan of anything; it was a delight to watch. Moreover, Britt is the most physically precise of the three, conjuring whole characterisations through posture alone. By the final stretch the audience were not merely laughing but participating, and the closing minutes are as good as anything the Genesian has staged in Rozelle.
The costumes were, as always, beautifully executed by Susan Carveth and Ali Bendall, converting a shawl and a bonnet into an entire dramatis personae. Similarly, the lighting by Cian Byrne, with sound by Byrne and Bendall, keeps the transitions crisp enough that the quick changes read as choreography rather than chaos, while Natalie Hughes stage manages what must be a logistical nightmare with no visible seams.
I admire the lightness that was brought to this production, which is a braver undertaking than the reverent adaptations the Genesian is well known for. Janeites will catch every deep cut, including a spirited defence of Mansfield Park I did not expect to hear in Gordon Street, and newcomers get the plots, the jokes, and no homework. While it may not hit all the marks, broadly it still sticks the landing, and I would gladly recommend it to others.
