PLOT SUMMARY
A playful new adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters - sensible Elinor and sensitive Marianne - after their father's sudden death leaves them financially destitue and socially vulnerable. Set in gossipy late 18th-century England, with a fresh female voice, the play is full of humor, emotional depth, and bold theatricality. Sense and Sensibility examines our reactions, both reasonable and ridiculous, to societal pressures. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?
The play begins with the untimely death of Mr. Dashwood, leaving Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne, and younger sister Margaret searching for a new home after their older half-brother inherits the estate. Their brother John and his wife Fanny descend upon Norland like vultures, bringing wth them Fanny's very rich, sweet elder brother, Edward. The Dashwood family finds respite in a small cottage of a distant relative, Sir John Middleton, who lives with his stoic wife and gregarious mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings, at Barton Park. It is there that they meet the kind Colonel Brandon and dashing John Willoughby. After the sisters suffer devastating heartbreaks, Marianne falls ill. With the help of her family and friends, Marianne recovers, and the Dashwood sisters find they might be more alike than they all thought, after all.
