PLEASANT GROVE — I recently had the pleasure of attending Creekside Theatre Fest’s preview of Persuasion at The Liahona Theater for the Community. Jane Austen fans will be familiar with her novel of the same name published in 1817, which was adapted for the stage by Melissa Leilani Larson in 2008. This production was a delightful display of the life that community can infuse into the arts.
For those less familiar, Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, a Regency Era woman who must confront her past when a familiar face reappears in her life. Will the threads that once tied her heart to this man remain intact after so many years? And if so, will his?
Eden Bostrom portrayed the pivotal role of Anne Elliot. Bostrom’s embodiment of Anne’s strictly practical and gently loving heart had the audience immediately on her side. Bostrom’s relatable rendition of Anne carried our own hearts along the buffeted waters of Anne’s past and present encounters with the Captain Frederick Wentworth. The role of Captain Wentworth can be played many ways, and Christian Wawro nailed it on the head with the genteel and frustrated love interest we so classically see in Jane Austen’s stories. Wawro’s attentiveness to his scene partners infused his character with the deep searching the Captain carries with him.
Bostrom and Wawro’s careful observance of their past memories played out before them by Anne Madsen and Ian Hadfield, further led the audience along the paths of their character’s hearts. Madsen as Young Anne and Hadfield as Young Frederick opened the show with an air of young love, which their incremental reappearances carried with them throughout the course of the play.
While the romance-seeking-theatre-goer may be satiated with this show, their needs will be equally met with humor. One stand out performer of this sort was Isabelle Purdie as Mary Musgrove, Anne’s married sister. Purdie’s thorough understanding of the text brought moments of laughter and physical comedy to the surface of this play. The audience was continuously amused by her natural comedic timing that added a joyful humanity to the show.
Much credit should also be given to the remaining ensemble of characters that filled the evening with comedy and the joy of the arts. With some of these actors simultaneously acting in Creekside Theatre Fest’s other season productions, it is impressive to see their full commitment to their roles here.
This diverse group of actors was directed by Jon Liddiard. With the decision to put on a Regency Era piece, comes the challenge of accents. Liddiard did a sufficient job of leading the actors in a believable British accent. While some struggled more than others to maintain an accent and remain clearly understood by the audience, others excelled. While it was not the best executed part of this performance, it was likely preferable to having no accents at all. With this production being set in a thrust configuration, with the audience seated on 3 sides of the playing space, Liddiard was mindful of staging scenes. No seat had a bad view, because actors were staged periodically facing not just downstage, but also towards the side audience.
The costume design by Jen Christensen was an extremely important piece of this production. With limited set pieces, the costume design helped to communicate time period, wealth status, and character themes throughout scenes and across characters. I particularly appreciated the slight deviances between Anne’s more modestly adorned dresses in opposition to Mary, who was more fashionably dressed. Details like this helped to support character depiction and remind the audience of the intricacies of social standing in Regency Era England’s upper classes.
A surprisingly delightful addition to the night was the dancing. Persuasion is not a musical, but that did not rob the audience of the beautiful art of Regency dancing. Choreographed by Kelsey Phillips, a group partner dance added to the emotional entangles of the character’s experiences, and forwarded Anne’s internal journey.
As I am well aware, any theatrical production is nothing without its backstage and technical teams. While the evening’s performance was briefly delayed due to “ghosts” attacking the theatre’s technical systems, thanks to the many unseen contributors to this production, the show was up and running in no time. Just another testament to the strength of community, especially in the arts.
SHOW INFO: If you’re a fan of Jane Austen’s jocose tales from the heart, don’t miss your chance to experience Persuasion at Creekside Theatre Fest-running until June 29th, playing various days at 8pm (with one 2:30pm matinee June 20th). Creekside Theatre Fest’s 3 other shows of the season are also running now until July 2nd. Tickets and showtimes are available at www.creeksidetheatrefest.org/