There were some carping critics in the lobby at The Pear Theatre following the nearly three-hour performance of “Northanger Abbey” on Saturday. Despite its length, “Northanger Abbey” is really very enjoyable, and carries the audience happily along with the language of Jane Austen, as adapted by Pear founder Diane Tasca.
Leslie Ivy was beautiful and lively as Catherine, the young daughter of a reverend. Her family, the Morlands, have moved to Bath, which she finds lovely for long walks and for visits to the Pump Room, where all the “propertied swells” meet to dance and gossip.
There, she is befriended by Eleanor Tilney (Damaris Divito) and is caught by the charms of Eleanor’s brother, Henry Tilney (Peter Ray Juarez).
The next night, Henry is missing but John Thorpe (Matthew Brown) is there. Brown does such a good job portraying the manipulative Thorpe, that it’s all the audience can do to not boo and hiss anytime he steps on stage.
Catherine also is befriended by Isabella Thorpe (Dana Reynolds). The two young women share a love of horrid novels.
While the romance of Catherine and Henry continues in fits and starts, Isabella sister of the creepy John invites Catherine to stay at her family’s estate, Northanger Abbey. Catherine leaps at the chance, hoping for the spooky corridors, hidden rooms and ghosts of the horrid novels she reads.
But the horrid behavior is really that of John, who several times creates significant problems for Catherine by promulgating lies about her.
Ivy delivers a lovely performance, portraying a fine and charming Catherine, ranging from childish hopes of a teen to more nuanced needs of an adult, always with gentility. Reynolds seems to belong in this time period, very much the upper class, educated and gracious young lady. Divito, who plays Mrs. Thorpe, Eleanor Tilney and takes ensemble parts, balances her roles like a skilled juggler. Juarez is charming throughout as Henry.
The cast doesn’t much bother with trying to speak with British accents. Instead we get to hear their more-or-less normal voices as they concentrate on their characterizations.
Almost everybody in the cast stumbled through a line at least once. It is a long play with a lot of lines; it is likely the delivery will be smoothed out soon.
Costumes by Trish Files were quite good for the men, less so for the women. Fine-cut military jackets for Henry, John and others; basic frocks for the women. Catherine, while walking in a garden, riding in a shay or dancing in the Pump Room, has one white dress with a red belt with no easily visible lace or other trim.
Of course, Ivy is on stage constantly, so a change of costume would be difficult. Still, some lace or other ornamentation would have been nice.
It’s a colorblind cast, which I applaud. An insert in the press kit notes that some white-racist hate groups have taken to thinking of Jane Austen as bastion of white family life; this cast is a lovely poke in the eye for such people.
What: “Northanger Abbey.”
Where: Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St., Mountain View.
When: Through Sept. 23; see online for performance schedule.
Also: A “junior” cast performs the same show in repertory, using the same set, through Sept. 22.
Cost: $15-$35.
Info: Go to thepear.org or call 650-254-1148.
John Orr is a freelance writer for the Weekly. He can be reached at johnorr@regardingarts.com.
John Orr is a freelance writer for the Weekly. He can be reached at johnorr@regardingarts.com.
John Orr is a freelance writer for the Weekly. He can be reached at johnorr@regardingarts.com.