Eugene weekly., March 01, 2018, Page 13, Image 13

Sense & Sensibility
I N T H E A N G U S B O W M E R T H E AT R E
T H R O U G H O C T. 2 8
Jane Austen fans are legion, and her novel Sense and
Sensibility is one of their touchstones. The story, set in
England in the late 18th century, is about three daughters
whose father dies, leaving his entire estate, as the law
requires, to their henpecked brother — meaning their
only recourse is to find financially feasible marriages.
This adaptation of the novel was done by Kate Hamill,
who explains in the program notes that her stage version
of the story is 60 percent her and only 40 percent Austen.
That’s a good thing, because forcing a 300- to 400-page
novel into a two and a half hour performance usually
doesn’t work.
This story works very well. Director Hana S. Sharif
stages it in period costume on an elegant set by Collette
Pollard. There, the story is hung on the love and
competition between sisters Elinor Dashwood (Nancy
Rodriguez) and Marianne Dashwood (Emily Ota), who
are under the thumb of their mother, Mrs. Dashwood
(Kate Mulligan).
I’m not, myself, a huge Austen fan, but the play does
offer a fine evening’s entertainment — even for those of
us not enthralled by Regency gowns and tea parties.
Austen fans will love it even more.
Destiny of Desire
I N T H E A N G U S B O W M E R T H E AT R E
T H R O U G H J U LY 12
The most popular television programming in the world
today is not, as you might expect, pro football or Disney-
animated musicals. It is, in fact, the telenovela, the
extended Latin American soap opera that has swept the
Gossip and social standing are driving forces for the characters (Ensemble) of
Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.
globe since its beginnings in radio nearly a century ago.
With their fast-moving plots wrapped around issues of
class and race, and featuring plenty of sex, telenovelas
now captivate an estimated 2 billion viewers worldwide.
Karen Zacarias’ Destiny of Desire, directed here by
José Luis Valenzuela, both spoofs and honors the
telenovela with its own fast-paced melodrama of two
young women switched at birth in a Mexican hospital.
The daughter of a wealthy casino owner is born sickly
and dying of a bad heart; the pale baby is swapped by
hospital staff with the healthy daughter of peasants, so as
not to offend the rich man.
Our story really begins 18 years later, when Victoria
Maria del Rio (Ella Saldana North) has grown up to work as
a maid to the rich girl, Pilar Esperanza Castillo (Esperanza
America). This Dickensian plot turns rapidly into pure farce,
as insanely complicated love affairs (at one point near the
end, the piano player accompanying the show throws up his
hands in exasperation) and revelations ensue.
That pale plot summary does little justice, though, to
the immense and funny energy of this play, which is at
once a successful melodrama, whose plot moves faster
than a speeding bullet; a great musical comedy, with lots
of triple-threat singing, dancing and acting; and a
sophisticated reflection on the increasing prominence of
Latin culture in the United States.
The latter is brought in, a bit awkwardly in places, by
the device of having characters suddenly stop and narrate
odd facts and statistics about everything from the life
expectancy of Latinos in the U.S. (better than you
probably thought) to how many married American women
say they would have an affair if they knew they wouldn’t
get caught.
Program notes explain this as giving the audience a
“Brechtian” distance from the overwhelming involvement
of the telenovela-style plot. OK. It works, but too often it
feels like a puritanical attempt to turn great fun into
education.
Never mind. This is a hilarious, uplifting and engaging
show, start to finish, and you’d better buy tickets now if
you plan to see it anytime soon. ■
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival produces 11 plays on its three stages in
downtown Ashland during a season that runs through the end of October.
For tickets and more information, visit osfashland.org.
Wonder
of
the World
by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Michael Walker
March 16-18, 22-25, 29-31
A wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs!
Tickets at TheVLT.com
541.344.7751
2350 Hilyard St, Eugene
EVENTS FOR
MARCH 2018
Unless noted all concerts are $12 General and $9 Members
FR 02 First Friday OPEN HOUSE [ 5:30P—6:30P ] FREE
Music by Allan Vance Trio ● Christoph Greiner ● Paul Slate
FR 02 Hot Club of Eugene Quartet: Swinging acoustic string band ... flavors of the '30s and '40s
SA 03 The Octet with saxophonist Roger Woods
WE 07 A3 Music of Mingus w/Todd Sickafoose: Instrumental ensemble with emphasis on jazz $8
TH 08 Hettwer & Radsliff Quartet: Guitarist Jack Radsliff with Saxophonist Josh Hettwer and others
FR 09 UO Jazz Combos with Ryan Meagher [ 5:00PM to 6:30PM ] preview FREE
[ 7:30PM Concert $10 / $8 ] OJE end of tour performance
SA 10 Frank Kohl and John Stowell; A night of guitar magic
WE 14 Event Horizon—Chris Caselli: Fusion quintet explores fusing the musical genres of jazz,
hip hop, and funk through a contemporary lens
FR 16 The Originators: Several founders of The Jazz Station reunite for old times sake and great music!
John Crider, Nancy Hamilton, Chris Orsinger, Hamilton Mays, Rich Platz, and Fred Wesley
TH 17 Bossanaire [ $15 / $11 ] Traditional Bossa Nova
SA 24 Portland Jazz Series presents Kerry Politzer [ $15 / $11 ] Upbeat Brazilian jazz tunes
TH 29 Joanne Broh Band: High energy and soulful blues at it’s very best!
SA 31 Smokin' Jukebox: APRIL FOOL’S DAY EVE PARTY! Fun and foolish ditties from the 1920s - 50s
with vocalists Dona Clarke & Arlene Schwartz
Sunday Learners Jams 2:30-5:00P
An all-ages jam for developing jazz musicians and singers hosted by local musician educators
Unless noted all concerts start at 7:30P Doors open at 7:00P
The Jazz Station is open to all ages
THANKS to our sponsors
Eugene’s Home For LIVE Jazz
124 West Broadway ● Downtown Eugene
Tckets available online at www.thejazzstation.org
eugeneweekly.com • March 1, 2018
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