"[Has] a freshness, speed and immediacy that, while always in sync with the humor, sentiments and manners of Austen's late 18th century English country-and-city society, gives the storytelling a contemporary energy that is downright irresistible. ...Flows like an effortlessly danced gavotte, finding just the right balance between formality, playfulness and the real pain that invariably accompanies love and hope."
Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
"With his truly excellent new adaptation... Jon Jory takes the best of both approaches to life and art... managing to dramatize this complex tale without recourse to a narrator. Jory sets himself a much harder, self-directed task: theatricalize those inner feelings and tell the story in 150 minutes, but remain true to the novel in such a way that Austen fans will appreciate. He achieves this quite magnificently, mostly through a combination of keeping the story moving as it floats across southern England and the various suitors ebb and flow, and very cleverly skipping ahead in scenes so that we get to the good stuff. He knows when to wallow, and when to dip in and out. Time and again, Jory collapses time in a way that surprises you -- and that varied piece keeps the action intensely arresting throughout."
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"Adapter and director Jon Jory, formerly of the Actors Theatre of Louisville, faithfully preserves Austen's singular dialogue and the integrity of her estimable heroines. His sprightly production is notable for its solid storytelling...an estimable incarnation of the 1811 novel."
Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald (Chicago)
"Jane Austen turned her hand to dramatic adaptation on at least one occasion...the novelist would likely approve of Jory's efforts, which deftly turn her 1811 fable about the Dashwood sisters into a quick-moving and sprightly comedy. The adapter wisely forgoes any attempt to transfer Austen's inimitable narrative voice, trusting in her canny sense of character and incident to convey the story's wry insight and emotional depth."
John Beer, Time Out Chicago
"Jory's adaptation smooths some sharp edges...he admirably captures the book's humor, spirit, and social comment, relying heavily on Austen's own dialogue but taking care to break the story into bits of action rather than chunks of prose so that it feels like we're watching a play and not an audiobook with costumes."
Zac Thompson, Chicago Reader
"Jon Jory's text...is a miracle of storytelling efficiency, whisking us from one locale to the next with the breathless expediency of the action delineated within...those paying attention will have no trouble following the lovers' thorny trail to a satisfactory accord."
Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times (Chicago)
Set: Bare stage with rolling doors and movable furniture.
