By Addison Gernenz | Copy Editor
Baylor Theatre dazzles in their performance of “Sense & Sensibility,” selling out the performance for a fourth straight night.
“Sense & Sensibility” is a play written by Kate Hamill, based on the classic novel by Jane Austen and directed by Baylor Theatre undergraduate program director Lisa Denman.
“Sense & Sensibility” follows two sisters — Elinor Dashwood, played by Woodway senior Savannah Ortiz and Marianne Dashwood, played by Dripping Springs senior Lainey Killian — navigating their separate love lives after their father dies, leaving them in financial ruin.
The sisters oppose each other in personality. Elinor is practical and driven by reason, while Marianne is romantic and often lives with her head in the clouds.
The cast enraptured the audience, which reacted with laughter and gasps of excitement, disgust and surprise.
The ups and downs of the sisters’ love lives, the gossip of the neighbors and the twists and turns and betrayals from different characters kept the audience attentively watching and waiting for the next twist in Austen’s drama.
St. Louis freshman Luke Mason said he enjoyed the play, despite not having read the book.
“I was able to follow it well,” Mason said. “It was very fun. Overall, the actors did a great job and made excellent use of their stage presence.”
The set consisted of three or four actual pieces of furniture and several chairs which would be moved on, off and around the stage to create different stage setups for each scene.
The play expertly weaves the historical aspects of a story from the 19th century with an enthralling modern twist.
Marietta, Georgia, junior Shelby Grace Sparrow said she liked the play’s ability to blend the Regency era and historical romance into a more modern setting, particularly with music.
Songs like Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Paramore’s “Misery Business” and Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” are featured throughout the story in instrumental fashion. The play ended with a dance sequence to RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” which turned into the curtain call — receiving a standing ovation.
“Some of the characters were more dramatic onstage, or were more of a caricature than perhaps Jane Austen originally wrote them,” Sparrow said. “But it was a successful and enjoyable take on them for sure.”
“Sense & Sensibility” runs through Oct. 4 at Mabee Theatre in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center. Tickets are currently sold out.
