Northanger Abbey on stage in California
The Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountain View, California, is presenting a stage adaptation of Northanger Abbey, which began May 16 and runs through June 8.
MetroActive has an article about the play.
The line between narration and dialogue blurs often, especially since actors narrate partly to the audience and partly to other characters. MacLeod is especially gifted in split-purposing narration to imply dialogue. At its most seamless, the device disappears, as when Catherine and Henry Tilney (Michael Barrett Austin) are riding together in a carriage and their third-personing each other comes off as intimate pet-talk. At its weakest, the narrative device gives the sense of repeated interruption that makes it difficult to fall into the world of the story. This, plus the lack of any dire drama in Austen’s story, recommends some trimming.
But Austen is meant to be sipped on a lazy afternoon, and this cast has the charm to make a pleasant sipping tea.
We hope to have a first-person report on the play eventually.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
We’d love to see more Jane Austen fans at the show. This presentation is somewhat unconventional, with a bit more of a sense of humor than the average PBS adaptation. But I also flatter myself to think it’s also about as true to the novel as a 2-hr version could be. If you’re interested in reading more about it, there is another review of our production here: http://www.kqed.org/arts/performance/index.jsp?id=22769
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I always knew if I was a very good Janeite, that Henry Tilney would some day post on my blog.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I’m telling my friends in the Bay Area who are even remotely interested in Jane to come to the show. And a dear friend will be flying up here all the way from Southern California just to see it.