The Last of Jane Austen: Weak play and production down for the count

The Last of Jane Austen
By Shirl Hendryx
Phoenix Players

Appropriate pastimes for elderly ladies are attending readings of Jane Austen’s works at their church and playing quiet games of Canasta at home. But, when the sisters Stevenson become bored with such genteel behaviour and enamoured with the fine art of boxing, their world changes — especially when a needy young man knocks on their door and begs for work.

Finding a photograph of him in boxing mode is all the prompting Sarah and Margaret Stevenson require to go into the boxing business as his trainers/managers.

Such a fairy tale premise makes a believable production extremely difficult. In the Phoenix Players’ version of The Last of Jane Austen, director Jo-Ann McCabe and her cast try very hard to inject some credibility into the show, but they are fighting a losing battle.

The four principals, Andrée Benson and Ellen Clare O’Gallagher as the sisters Stevenson, Megan Carty as their niece Mildred and Geoff Blampied as boxer Harry each have a clear understanding of their characters’ motivation and generally exhibit appropriate reactions, but they are constantly hampered by the silliness of the script and the overall slowness of the pace.

The always leisurely pacing grinds even more slowly during the embarrassingly over-pronounced and emphasized style that Janice Blampied uses in delivering the Austen readings. While they are meant to underline the contrast with the excitement of the Stevensons’ new occupation, they merely serve as lead weights that hold back any more interesting aspects of the show.

The considerable effort devoted to mounting The Last of Jane Austen has not paid huge dividends in terms of a convincing storyline or acting prowess.

The Phoenix Players production of The Last of Jane Austen continues at the Gladstone Theatre to November 16, 2013.

Note – Jane Austen is misspelled in one section of the advertising for the show.

Director and set designer: Jo-Ann McCabe
Sound: David Speck
Lighting: Barry Sims
Costumes: Anne Melrose

Cast:
Reverend Henderson……………………Art King
Miss Bell………………………………………Janice Blampied
Sarah Stevenson……………………………Andrée Benson
Margaret Stevenson………………………Ellen Clare O’Gallagher
Harry Greer…………………………………Geoff Blampied
Mildred………………………………………Megan Carty
Boxing Commissioner……………………Bill Horsman
Photographer………………………………Ken Wood
Interviewer/Commentator……………Dan Smythe
TV executive………………………………Bill Rankin
Hotel executive……………………………Anne Melrose