review: northangery abbey

I recently went to see the play Northanger Abbey with my friend Melissa and we had a lovely time.  It was done at the Genesian Theatre, which is a lovely little theatre in a former church on Kent Street, right in the heart of the CBD.  Evidently they usually do classic pieces and I was younger than the average audience member by roughly two generations.  It was, however, very good.

Despite being a literary female, I have only actually read two Jane Austen novels -- the obvious, and Emma.  Emma will almost certainly remain my favorite, not so much for the novel, but for the production the Calvin Theatre Company did of it in spring 2003.  I may or may not be slightly biased, but it was the best Jane Austen production ever seen on stage and really none can hope to parallel it.  The humor, the wit, the staging, the curtains, the turntable, the other turntable, Miss Bates played by the boys, the carriage, the bed, the flower petals falling at the end ... but I digress.

In any event, I'm reasonably familiar with those two, as well as the movie version of Sense and Sensibility, and, it turns out, I did read about the first 100 pages of Northanger Abbey at some point before putting it down, as the beginning was reasonably familiar to me.  However, I had no idea how the latter two thirds of the show would progress (besides, of course, that everything would end happily in at least one, if not a half dozen, marriages).

Initially, I had mixed feelings about seeing a show -- particularly a gothic-ish show -- in what had very obviously used to have been a church.  It seemed kind of sacrilegious (incidentally, who decided the spelling of "sacrilegious"?  and, more to the point, how?).  But of course I also think the church should embrace the arts and foster them way more than it usually does (plug for the upcoming I Heart Kirribilli exhibition at my church in October, by the way!).  I never exactly settled my feelings on the matter, but suffice it to say I saw the show regardless.

At first I was afraid I'd have to strain my way through the accents the whole time (real accents I can handle just fine -- but affected ones are somewhat stranger), but I soon settled into the story (I always have a hidden little fear that the play is going to be somehow over my head and I'm going to miss, well, the point, if not most of the finer details) without any trouble (phew!).

The acting was fine, and I fell for Mr. Tilney accordingly.  The girl playing Catherine did a great job, and I suppose ... was it Isabella? ... did too, because I couldn't stand her.  Similarly for her brother.  Catherine's brother was fine, and Eleanor was fantastic.  Overall it was a lovely ensemble.

The setting and staging was well done -- the gothic elements came across vaguely hokey, but I they weren't really meant to be serious, so all was well.  It was a delightful story, well told and, most importantly, with a happy ending.  Highly diverting, and I'd really recommend the theatre.  They're doing The Mousetrap in September, which is fantastic if you've never seen it.  I'm also especially looking forward to Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband in November.