Sense & Sensibility

Last night Joe & I saw a play based on Sense & Sensibility, the novel by the incomparable Jane Austen. Put on by a tiny theater company with a shoestring budget, it was staged most improbably in the banquet room of a Twin Cities restaturant known for German food and beer.

As we walked in and saw that the set consisted of an area about 15 feet deep by 20 feet wide with only a single screen of fabric at the back (barely taller than the actors) and a few plain wooden chairs, my doubts started. How could this setting possibly do justice to the sublime writing and keen observations of one of my favorite authors?

I couldn't have been more wrong. The acting was outstanding and after only a few minutes I was completely immersed in Austen's witty piercing of the blisters of sexism and classism. Her extraordinary critique and appreciation of human nature shone through.

This morning I woke with thoughts of how those very same blisters still need piercing more than 200 years later. And today I'm feeling exhilarated (rather than daunted) by the thought of lending my energy to that work for the rest of my life. It feels positively fun with Jane Austen as a co-worker!