A new musical based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility has opened at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. See below for info and photos. Video and reviews to follow.
There's this and the Pride and Prejudice one. This one sounds better if only because Jane Austen isn't in the story. I started both books but lost interest in each early on.
I can't wait to see this! I loved Gordon's Jane Eyre and Sensibility is my favorite of the Austen stories. He also has a demo recording of Emma, but I haven't heard it.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I saw this last night and am not sure how I feel about it.
The first act is quite bland. Not ever bad or boring, just a very “by the book” structure, with much more focus on just showing the happenings – as an audience member, I felt very detached from the proceedings. Many of the songs in the first act felt like they were expressing the same thoughts as pervious songs, as well.
But, the second act is supremely better. I became very endeared to both girls (and the men) and truly felt for them. By the end, I was absolutely swept up in the joy and love in the final moments and found myself getting surprisingly emotional.
The actress who played Elinor was a favorite of mine. So much heart and poise, with a beautiful voice.
The score is very pretty and has some truly wonderful melodies in it, but there is really no variation between any of the songs. It was hard to recognize when melodies were repeated or songs were reprised because all of them sound so similar. I also found many of the songs to begin to reach a beautiful build, but then lose their power in the last 15 or so seconds.
I found the direction to be a little static, but that may simply be part of the nature of the piece.
It was a very strange experience for me – I felt nearly nothing in the first act, but by the end my heart was bursting. The crowd was very receptive and I noticed that the older theatre-goers, in particular, were often beaming while watching the show and extremely enthusiastic throughout the night.