Sense & Sensibility NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (434)
See it if You appreciate good ensemble work and or Jane Austin and or fun night at the theater
Don't see it if You're not too bright and or hate theater
See it if you like exciting theatre that relies on wonderful actors, a good script and smart staging... and Jane Austen!
Don't see it if you prefer big Broadway blockbuster musicals. This is fine theatre, with great attention to detail.
See it if a fun, fun show
Don't see it if if you only like a full production
See it if You want one of the best shows ever. It's unusual and exciting, and every instant presents an unexpected but perfect insight into the story.
Don't see it if You prefer classically staged dramas.
See it if You think Jane Austen might be outdated, overrated, slow, affected and overdone--this will change your mind, indeed it will!
Don't see it if You can't handle a bunch of zany, fertile, insanely talented actors and directors who are can absorb outre' concept and run full speed w it!
See it if you love Jane, you want clever rendering of classics, you like witty social comedy, you seek great theater done on a shoestring budget.
Don't see it if you expect that silly horse's head in the promotional material to be meaningful. I avoided the show for months due to that misdirection.
See it if you would like to see the most creative and entertaining theatre production in town. It will be a shame to miss that one. Go, go, go
Don't see it if You are out of town. It's 2.5 hours that will pass with great pleasure before you know it
See it if you like theatre that defies traditional staging. Or if you just want to have a good laugh!
Don't see it if If you're not into taking classic stories and messing with them.
Critic Reviews (29)
"Bedlam’s intimate and inventive stage adaptation...Kate Hamill’s adaptation is faithful to the novel, capturing its dueling romantic and socially critical qualities...As directed by Eric Tucker, it is anchored by emotionally revealing performances...The refreshing production makes a strong case for having classic-oriented theater companies produce more literary adaptations. I look forward to what Bedlam does next."
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"Bedlam theater company has remained true to Austen's spirit in Kate Hamill's marvelous adaptation of 'Sense and Sensibility…' This hysterical, endlessly inventive production captures Austen's penchant for satire while inducing laughs with an ever-changing set and 10 brilliant actors who never seem to stop moving. It's one of the funniest, most engaging productions now running off-Broadway…It's hard not to lose one's senses in this kind of theatrical stage magic."
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"Tucker's direction suffers from a fatal tonal confusion. Nobody seems clear if they are offering Austen up straight or spoofing her as broadly as possibly…There are many clever staging ideas…But all too quickly cutesy staging ideas overwhelm the text…When they stick to the business of performing the script, the cast is effective…But too much of the time you see the members of the company practically squeezing their own hands in congratulations over their own cleverness."
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“Using a cast of ten versatile actors (playing 17 roles) under the brilliant and ingenious
direction of artistic director Eric Tucker, the minimalist production contains
all of the key scenes of the book while at the same time skillfully
delineating the social fabric of the times. You may never have guessed how funny
this story really is. Kate Hamill’s marvelous play is one of the finest
stage adaptations of a literary classic. Our Jane would have expressed her
approval.”
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"You won't find another show in Manhattan at any price, that will immerse you this completely in what's happening on stage…An array of stylized, campy theatrical devices are for the most part ingeniously inventive rather than excessively gimmicky...The rolled on sets do tend to get a bit too much of a good thing around the two hour mark...That said this is one of the most amusing, original theatrical entertainments now running anywhere in Manhattan."
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"It may have taken 'Downton Abbey' to make aristocratic costume drama accessible and mainstream, but it took the Bedlam Theatre Company to turn it into a rip-roaring joyride with their astounding production of 'Sense and Sensibility'...This version is lovingly and skillfully adapted...The only way to truly appreciate the play in its entirety is to see it again. I already have my ticket."
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"Bedlam’s 'Sense and Sensibility' is transformative theatre, groundbreaking theatre, immersive theatre, theatre not to be missed...This classic is now not only accessible to the present but relevant to this twenty-first century’s attempts to understand not only the vicissitudes of love but also its penchant for accumulating wealth and power."
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"The theatre’s limitations might be thought a serious drawback when grappling with such works, but, under Eric Tucker’s inspired direction, Bedlam’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ manages to encapsulate the heart of Austen’s story, and enrapture its audience with equal shares of laughter and tears...Their vision enhances rather than gets in the way of a wonderful story and characters, demonstrating how effectively material conceived for another medium can be brilliantly transposed to the theatre."
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