“[Jessica B.] Hill and [Olivia] Sinclair-Brisbane are both exemplary, with Hill perhaps first among equals. Both manage to show us, at least at moments, the very young girls that Austen wrote. (Elinor is nineteen, Marianne seventeen. You’ll have to turn to the novel for the full effect.)

As the thirteen-year-old Margaret Dashwood, [Jade V.] Robinson makes a smashing Festival debut. She has worked with [Daryl] Cloran before and we have him to thank for introducing her to the company. I hope she sticks around…Festival veterans Seanna McKenna and Steve Ross shine in the minor roles of Mrs. Jennings and Sir John Middleton.”

“While Kate Hamill’s irreverent adaptation of Sense and Sensibility remains broadly faithful to the plot of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, director Daryl Cloran and his talented cast make no bones about leaning into its comedic potential…

What emerges is a lively, genre-straddling production that melds Austen’s “novel of manners” with farcical flourishes, using satire to poke fun at the social rituals, class anxieties and stiff-lipped propriety of the British Regency era.”

“It’s a clown-influenced production that delivers laughs aplenty and sidesteps the novel’s heavier themes in favour of sheer fun…

Much of Sense and Sensibility consists of people sitting and talking, standing and talking, or walking and talking – and yet, this production doesn’t feel static. Chairs and tables on wheels glide smoothly across the stage, creating a constant sense of motion even when the action slows for long conversations. This simple bit of stagecraft keeps the energy flowing, allowing scenes to shift location and mood without pausing the story.

This presentation of Austen’s masterwork doesn’t pretend to offer a bold new take on marriage, money, or gender. And that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes, you don’t need a sharp social critique. Sometimes, it’s enough to spend a few hours in a world of flirty glances, whispered secrets, and floofy, feathered hats.”

“Whether you’re an Austen fan or not, if you choose to miss this boisterous new production, I have but two words for you, which I shall borrow from the play’s sororal protagonists: “For shame!”…

How Hamill managed to distil a dense, 400-page novel into a play of this sort is a wonder.

Wonderful, too, is director Daryl Cloran’s galloping production…

Jade V. Robinson, in her Stratford debut, is exceedingly droll, and steals every scene she’s in as the youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret, pouting her way across the stage. Then, she totally transforms before our eyes into Elinor’s cutthroat rival, Miss Lucy Steele, milking every laugh with an aggressive sneer. Talk about a breakthrough debut performance.”