Review: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, Arches Lane Theatre

250 years after her birth, with another new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice about to land on Netflix and a new film of Sense and Sensibility being released this week, the appetite for Jane Austen seems as ravenous as ever. Theatre company Thick as Thieves specialise in small company adaptations of popular classics and has brought their version of Sense and Sensibility to the tiny Arches Lane Theatre in Battersea.

Directed and adapted by Nicky Diss, those familiar with the Academy Award-winning 1995 film starring Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson will find much similarity in the script. Thompson won the Oscar for her screenwriting, so this is very much the case of if it ain't broke... So, do we need yet another adaptation? Probably not, but this production is so charming and deftly performed that it is well worth a look.

The hard-working cast of five maintain great flow and bring pace to the production. Grace Kelly Miller is a thoughtful and composed Elinor Dashwood, who also makes an highly ebullient Sir John Middleton. Laura Cooper-Jones is rather too whiny to evoke much sympathy as Marianne Dashwood, but Thomas Judd is a reserved Edward Ferrars, bold John Willoughby, aloof John Dashwood, with a hilarious turn as the lively Mrs Jennings. Laura Smithers is a sneering Fanny Dashwood and gives Lucy Steele both an interesting West Country-accent and a more cruel attitude than usual. Kaysha Woollery wails as a pitchy Mrs Dashwood, giving more substance to the quiet Colonel Brandon. Each character is well-delineated, so the story is always easy to follow, despite the constant movement of the actors and their characters.

Purists may argue that the rapidity of the multi-roling and the droll delivery often gives this show a pantomime feel – Judd's Mrs Jennings wouldn't look out of place in a regional production of Dick Whittington – but Austen's work always teased and, in essence, took the mickey out of the foibles of society. In reality, there is enough pathos (mainly brought by Miller's Elinor) that you really feel the injustice of society's expectations and treatment of women at the time.

Miller also is responsible for costume design and her clever outfits allow for incredibly quick changes as different characters pop in and out. All actors are clad in neutral billowy shirts and trousers, with bright dresses and ornate tailcoats added. There is no set designer credited, which explains the rather DIY feel to the moveable pieces of set. But this production is about the story and the actors, who deliver a highly entertaining and well-thought-out piece.

It's a poignant visit to Arches Lane Theatre as Sense and Sensibility is the very last show at the venue before it is taken over by a catering company. Following the news of the closure of The Gate Theatre, this is another blow to the roots of theatre in the capital. These small, off-West End venues are vital to the lifeblood of theatre and need as much support as possible; you may never see an Operation Mincemeat or a Titananique without these kind of places. So grab a ticket to this lovely little show while you have the chance.

Sense and Sensibility is at the Arches Lane Theatre until 27 September

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