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| Nya Garner (L) as Marianne Marianne Dashwood, Sophie Anne Miller (C) as Elinoir Dashwood, and Isabel Lee Roden (R) as Margaret Dashwood. Credit: Illinois Shakespeare Festival. |
Still, the story of women being dependent on men, of society creating barriers to women and of the reactions of people to the constraints of society remain compelling. Yet, modern audiences require help in interpreting the actions and reasons for those actions in a society that is as exotic to us as those of Pacific Islanders were to people of those times.
Enter Margaret Dashwood, the third sister. Aged 13, Margaret explains what the audience is seeing on stage, a technique known as exposition.
Exposition explains backstory and other information to the audience because the writer thinks that without the explanation the audience won’t understand the story. Too much exposition and the story stumbles. Not enough and the audience is missing needed information.
Margaret, played by Isabel Lee Roden, enters the stage to set the scene, remains on stage without a clear reason, and reappears when further exposition is required in Quetta Carpenter’s adaptation. It is a weak writing effort that detracts and annoys. But Roden works with what she was given.
So, too, do the two lead sisters, Elinor Dashwood, played by Sophie Anne Miller, and Marianne Dashwood, played by Nya Garner.
The male actors enter and leave the stage bearing labels: a cad, a bore, pompous, and so on. Are they anything but two-dimensional archetypes? I think that is the point– Austen reversed the sex roles of her characters allowing women to take the lead in her story with the men being cardboard cutouts.
Costumes were evocative, thank you Kathryn Rohe, and the dialogue coach, Natalie Blackman, should be proud of her effort.
Sense & Sensibility, which is in a world premiere at the festival, is the first of the three plays of the 2024 Illinois Shakespeare Festival that I’ll review. More about those other efforts later this summer.
But, let’s talk about the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. First, I’m old enough to remember the previous theatre at Ewing Manor. The current outdoor venue has great sight lines, there is almost always a light movement of air, helped by several fans, And, I recall the splinters in the seats, which are thankfully a thing of the past.
The current venue requires great blocking. I’m not seeing it. Worse, I’m not hearing it. I do not recall this being an issue under Artistic Director Calvin MacLean. Something needs to be done as dialogue is being lost.
The second issue is the vision thing. I’m accustomed to experiencing Shakespeare through an effort that challenges the audience. The retiring artistic director, John C. Stark, has moved the company off the very conservative approach to the Bard exhibited by his predecessor. But I’m hoping Robert Quinlan, who was appointed to the position early in June, will aggressively move the company in a more progressive direction.
 Margaret Dashwood (Isabel Lee Roden) ex- pounding on Georgian mating rituals. Credit: Illinois Shakespeare Festival. |
Quinlan is directing Twelfth Night, so we may get a taste for his vision.
The social media of the current festival is lacking. I searched for information on the Green Show. Although the website promised information on its calendar, I was unable to see that there was a Green Show on Saturday, June 29th. Because of our previous experience at the festival, we knew the grounds would be open for picnics prior to the show, and we hoped that there would be a Green Show.
That show was provided by the Linden Duo. The Duo, made of Kimberly Risinger on silver flute, and Angelo Favis, accompanying on guitar, played in the Ewing Courtyard for about 45 minutes. Risinger and Favis played with sheet music throughout, interspersing short, one or two minute pieces, with staples such as Moon River and Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’. The conditions for playing outdoors have challenges that were not anticipated by the two musicians. For example, and in particular, although the wind was calm it didn’t take much air movement for sheet music to get tossed.
I was disappointed by their performance. Both musicians are on staff at the college of music at Illinois State University. I’d have thought their selection could have been more active, that they could have played from memory and that they might have had a selection that anticipated the evening performance.
I need to bottom-line the entire experience. I’m being critical, because unlike the community theatre productions I’ve also reviewed, this company has greater stature and promise. I’ve seen this company do great things. I want them to exceed their past with greatness again.
They can take the criticism. They need the criticism.
Nevertheless, I would recommend going to see the performances. This is professional quality theatre in the heart of the state, in a beautiful venue and sometimes giving unforgettable performances. Whatever is happening now, it needs support to return to greatness.
The social media of the current festival is lacking. I searched for information on the Green Show. Although the website promised information on its calendar, I was unable to see that there was a Green Show on Saturday, June 29th. Because of our previous experience at the festival, we knew the grounds would be open for picnics prior to the show, and we hoped that there would be a Green Show.
That show was provided by the Linden Duo. The Duo, made of Kimberly Risinger on silver flute, and Angelo Favis, accompanying on guitar, played in the Ewing Courtyard for about 45 minutes. Risinger and Favis played with sheet music throughout, interspersing short, one or two minute pieces, with staples such as Moon River and Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’. The conditions for playing outdoors have challenges that were not anticipated by the two musicians. For example, and in particular, although the wind was calm it didn’t take much air movement for sheet music to get tossed.
I was disappointed by their performance. Both musicians are on staff at the college of music at Illinois State University. I’d have thought their selection could have been more active, that they could have played from memory and that they might have had a selection that anticipated the evening performance.
I need to bottom-line the entire experience. I’m being critical, because unlike the community theatre productions I’ve also reviewed, this company has greater stature and promise. I’ve seen this company do great things. I want them to exceed their past with greatness again.
They can take the criticism. They need the criticism.
Nevertheless, I would recommend going to see the performances. This is professional quality theatre in the heart of the state, in a beautiful venue and sometimes giving unforgettable performances. Whatever is happening now, it needs support to return to greatness.
Linden Duo (Kimberly Risinger, silver flute, and Angelo Favis guitar). Credit:
Patrick Boylan
Sense & Sensibility written and directed by Quetta Carpenter.
Based on the novel by Jane Austen.
World Premiere
Illinois Shakespeare Festival
- Ewing Manor, 48 Sunset Rd., Bloomington, IL 61701 (55 miles from Krannert Center
for the Performing Arts)
Social Media:
- Illinoisshakes.com
- Tickets: $27-$48. Season tickets, student and group discounts
available.
- Through August 2nd.
- Reviewed by Patrick Boylan
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