December 16 is Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, and Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) is throwing her a month-long party! Their production of The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, a boisterous comedy observing the work of the popular social satirist, runs at the New Vic December 3-21. Director Robert Kelley describes the show (by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast, and Meghan Winch) as a comic love letter to Jane Austen that can be enjoyed by everyone, whether or not they are already a fan of the Regency-era novels.
The play represents nine Austenian works, including six well-known titles (like Emma and Pride and Prejudice) and three of Austen’s early, unpublished works. This distillation of Austen’s world into one story utilizes three actors (Alyssa Anne Austin, Kyle T. Hester, and Kirsten Høj) taking on a dozen characters each, using props and small identifying costume pieces to define each character. “It’s a fast-paced, exciting piece,” says Høj. “The three actors never leave the stage except for brief moments. It all happens right in front of your eyes.”
Austen’s popularity as a writer has vastly improved over the last two centuries, and her work has developed a dedicated following. “She has a way of making romance plausible and real and important and also wonderfully funny and challenging,” says Kelley.
At the time of writing, says Høj, “so many women did not have the ability to choose who to spend their lives with and how to spend their time,” making Austen’s characters “women with agency,” socially subversive. Høj also points out that, ironically, when Austen first published, she did so anonymously. “There was a real stigma about working women at the time,” she says.
ETC will run a special birthday show on December 16, with a festive, Regency-themed party after the play.
The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged shows at the New Vic (33 W. Victoria St.), December 3-21. See etcsb.org.
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