4 – 14 May

It has been eight years since Anne Elliot rejected the proposal of Captain Wentworth on the advice of her family. Her advisors might have been reassured that she didn’t wed a man with such uncertain prospects, but Anne still lingers on the decision. Since then, the pressure on her and her sisters to marry continues to mount, and things are inevitably and irreversibly complicated when Wentworth, now rich and successful, returns. But this isn’t Austen quite as you know it, featuring modern dress, modern music and at least one foam party.

There will, I am sure, be some who will balk at modernist takes on Austen. Comparisons seem apt to the voguish Bridgerton and its  very loose interpretation of Austen-esque Regency romantic drama by way of egregious anachronisms, orchestrated pop songs and horny schmaltz. In modern dress and with party scenes featuring ‘WAP’ and ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ in the soundtrack, this version of Persuasion might seem to be emulating the same vibe, but it is walking a far finer line. As much as there is an irreverent cheek to staging a Jane Austen novel with club music and modern dancing (which is certainly played for laughs), the point ultimately being made is that the tribulations of love and life featured in Persuasion and Austen’s other works are still relevant. They resonate for a reason.

The adaptation is also more traditional than the declarations about the soundtrack and flaunted modern outfits might suggest. The dialogue is very much Austen through and through, the only real changes being to adapt to the economy of storytelling on stage. This lends everything a weight that might be lost with an achingly ‘hip’ attempt to update the material into modern diction, or the cod-regency halfway house of Bridgerton.

The contrast between the old and new elements of the staging is, as I said, played for humour much of the time but by the end they are working very much in concert. The first half stands out as treating the stylistic hodgepodge more farcically, but by the second half the music choices and selective anachronisms seem to have been deployed more judiciously. What I honestly might initially have dismissed as a garish aesthetic to pitch towards topicality proves its worth, and rather than detracting from the considerable strength of the source material, is clearly celebrating it. I might have the odd quibble on specific choices – the music in the first half is more scatter gun; what is Captain Benwick wearing at Lyme Regis_ –  but the effort overall pays off.

Discussion of the ‘modern take’ on Persuasion are at risk of drowning out the other aspects of the production. The stage itself proves an adaptable and inventive construction, with rotating planes that allow it to emulate the stable ground of stately homes as well as balconies and the Cobb at Lyme Regis. The added verticality is used well to abstract Anne’s attempts to disregard or block out the incessant gossip of her family by hurling them off the stage, which nearly sets a precedent for events later in the story.

The performances are uniformly engaging, and it is the actors who do the heavy lifting in wedding the Regency material to the modern aesthetic. It is through them that the two styles occupy the same space. Sascha Frost as Anne is relatable and is as much a protagonist as an observer of events alongside the audience. At times she is on the outskirts of the social games being played around her, frustrated by them, but inexorably drawn in by external pressure and unfulfilled needs.

A great deal of the reality and farce of family life is delivered by Helen Cripps as Anne’s exasperated sister Mary, and particular attention should be given to Matilda Bailes and Adam Deary. Both actors are debuting on stage and both bringing very strong stage presences to their multiple roles. Bailes stands out by the end in her role as Elizabeth, Anne’s other sister, and brings a sense of melancholy to what could otherwise have been a caricature, and Deary handles the balancing act of Mr Elliot ably, moving between oily ambition and genuine charisma.

All told, a well-realised version of an Austen classic and one that provides a good case for the author’s modern appeal.

★★★★☆  Fenton Coulthurst  6th May

Photo credit:  The Other Richard