Previews: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY at The Cape Playhouse

The Cape Playhouse, the longest-running professional summer theatre in the country, will continue its 2023 Summer season on June 21st with an exciting retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

Founded in 1927 by Raymond Moore, the Cape Playhouse was reputed by the New York Times as "the place where Broadway goes to Summer." Moore's vision was to create a smart, sophisticated summer theatre with some of the world's most noted stage and screen professionals - a dream that has since been realized tenfold. Within its 96 years in operation, the Playhouse has featured world-class talent in shows produced specifically for its stage. It has seen the likes of such legends as Julie Andrews and Ginger Roberts, and since its opening has continued to uphold a high caliber of professional theater.

Named as one of the 50 Best Small Stage Theaters in America, the Playhouse is set to present Kate Hamill’s farcical and hilarious adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Sense and Sensibility. The production will run from June 21st through July 1st following its season opener, Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Set in 18th-century England, this high energy update follows the lives of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood - two sisters who lose their fortune, home and all prospects for love after their father’s untimely death. One practical and dutiful, the other passionate and artistic, their quest for romance leads to scuttlebutt and scandals when one follows her head (sense) and the other her heart (sensibility).

This production of Sense and Sensibility features Jenn Gambatese, who takes on the role of Elinor. Jenn has starred on Broadway in Tarzan, All Shook Up, Mrs. Doubtfire, School of Rock, Hairspray and Footloose. Joining her on stage in the role of Marianne is Manna Nichols, whose Broadway credits include The King and I and Allegiance. Manna returns later this season to pick up her starring role from last summer in An American in Paris, back by popular demand for an extended run.

At the helm is Director Jessica Holt, an MFA graduate of the Yale School of Drama. Jessica is equally at home directing contemporary plays and musicals as she is reinvestigating classics for what they have to say to us today. Her directing credits include The Great Leap (OKC Rep), The Code (a new pop-rock musical), Ironbound (A.C.T.), The Thanksgiving Play, Something Delightful and Sense and Sensibility, among others for the Virginia Stage Company. This marks the third time Holt has directed the show, and every time she encounters Austen's story, she falls in love with it all over again. 

“I know Cape audiences will fall in love with Kate Hamill’s wildly inventive, hilariously audacious and emotionally resonant adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’,” states Holt. “Hamill's adaptation sweeps us into this story that so many of us know by heart, and provides a fresh, contemporary window into the lives of these beloved characters. This play sparkles with wit, humor and theatrical magic, and I'm so excited to share this delightful, wondrous romp with audiences on the Cape.”

The Playhouse’s season kicks off with Ain’t Misbehavin’ (June 7-17) with Lacy Darryl Phillips as Director/Choreographer and Ken Page as Production Consultant. Jersey Boys will follow Sense and Sensibility (July 5-22), later joined by An American in Paris (July 26-August 12), Camelot (August 16-26), and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (August 30-September 9). To purchase single tickets or a season subscription/Flex Pass, please visit www.capeplayhouse.com

In addition to professional live theatre, the not-for-profit Playhouse is committed to youth programs and education, striving to serve the local community. The historic theatre is situated on an expansive 22-acre campus along with the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cinema.

With summer just around the corner, please be sure to take advantage of all that the Cape Playhouse has to offer as part of its exciting 97th season!