Jane Austen Unscripted

Impro Theatre presents
Jane Austen Unscripted
a kate west review














directed by Dan O'Connor
and Paul Rogan
produced by Matthew Quinn

running
Fri, Oct 10 – Sun, Nov 16
Fri, Sat 8pm
Sunday 7pm

Theatre Asylum
6320 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
contact (323) 960-7753
http://www.improtheatre.com

Cast and Company: Patrick Bristow (special guest), Tracy Burns, Kari Coleman, Lisa Fredrickson, Brian Jones, Stephen Kearin, Lauren Lewis, Brian Lohmann, Nick Massouh, Jo McGinley, Dan O’Connor, Edi Patterson, Jennifer Riege, Paul Rogan, Carla Rosati, Michele Spears, Mollite Taxe, and Floyd Van Buskirk.

Impro Theatre specializes in presenting rapt audiences with such impressive improvisational feats as "Dickens Unscripted", "Tennessee Williams Unscripted", "Shakespeare Unscripted" and even "Sondheim Unscripted". The latest presentation, "Jane Austen Unscripted", is equally noteworthy, complete with gorgeous period costuming and language. Directors Dan O'Connor and John Rogan lead the brilliant troupe in bringing the celebrated author's sensibilities to life, as it were.

Company members take a couple of suggestions from the audience and spin an entire Jane Austen styled original play. One hundred percent improvised, the complex plot unfolds, hearts are won, witticisms flung and poetry recited, all in perfect synchronicity. Yes, amazingly enough, the actors are making up the entire dialogue right under your very eyes. It's like watching a Jane Austen movie that delivers a clever wink to the audience. The accomplished actors also gently acknowledge the occasional transgressions in ad-libbing, turning funny situations into even more humorous turns. The time flies by and when you are transported back to your modern era, you will want to come back for more.

The company treats their revered authors with the deepest respect, creating lines befitting the original works. Theirs is definitely an original spin, but seemingly lifted from what might have been written. Consummate professionals through and through (look up their long list of credits) , the players will make you laugh and then inspire you to read the classic works for yourself. What will they think of next? We can't wait to find out.

Austen's Works:
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen (Wordsworth Special Editions) (Special Editions) Read more!

John Steinbeck & Jack London vs. Charles Dickens & Charlotte Brontë

a kate west reflection

The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas (www.steinbeck.org) above.

I know that everyone is crazy about Jane Austen these days, as well they should be. She's a classic and an astute, if sometimes strict, observer of human nature. Yet, while my mind absolutely accepts this, my heart belongs elsewhere. The romantic part of me wants the sweeping drama of the mating ritual and that whole dramatic dance. Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" provides this for me. Not that Austen isn't romantic. Of course she is. But her novels can be more intellectual and passionate, while at the same time giving us social messages. She's not everyone's cup of tea; Mark Twain disparaged her, but he was a cantankerous old man. Brilliant writers often are.

Personally, sometimes I just want to escape (not that Brontë can't be deep, relax). Mr. Rochester seems more mysterious than Mr. Darcy and seemingly unattainable, making him all the more desirable. And I'm a sucker for happy endings. Then there's Charles Dickens. "Oliver Twist" is definitely a real depiction of the harshness of old English orphanages, but it does end well for the main character. Many people make fun of me for this, but "A Tale of Two Cities" is one of my favorite novels. I know it's a soap opera, with one ridiculous coincidence after another, but it speaks to me. Sydney Carton's heroic sacrifice gets me every time. The background of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror helps this story considerably, along with such rich characters like the brooding Madame Defarge, who keeps knitting aristocratic destruction while the streets run red with blood. Great stuff.

More realistic are the novels by Jack London and John Steinbeck, taken from both authors' real life experiences of Alaskan sled dogging in London's case and from the migrant workers Steinbeck grew up around in California. These novels are considered romantic because they depict small lives on a grand scale. The common man made poetic. London painted a vivid picture of man surviving in nature by befriending loyal dogs and understanding wolves. Men in such harsh winter climates needed to make these alliances; the resulting relationships satisfied both. Steinbeck made more of a social statement by showing us the inner lives of men who worked with their hands. He even wrote about his own journey traveling across America with his ferocious poodle Charley. Everyone reads these novels in school, but re-reading them as an adult causes you to appreciate their nuances even more. At least I think that's why I continue to be drawn to them.

The point is, literature (and film and art) is subjective. We like what we like. And we find romance where we can, since real life won't always give us what we want. And sometimes, even real life in fiction, even tragedy in books, seems more appealing than what we see at home. Or is it that these authors give us a clearer sense of life around us, which is really the most romantic thing of all.


Fun Reads:
Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Centennial Edition)

The Call of the Wild (Aladdin Classics)

Jane Eyre (Dover Thrift Editions)

A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) Read more!

Clueless

a kate west favorite








Clueless is a delightfully perfect modern adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma". Alicia Silverstone is Cher (yes, after the pop singer icon), a sweet spacey high schooler who loves to play matchmaker, just like the classic character Emma. Her latest project is Tai (a young Brittany Murphy), whose clueless fashion begs for a makeover and Cher is only too happy to oblige. Besides setting up teachers with each other and gaining some homework-free days for everyone, she spreads joy by being helpful, despite her sometimes-clumsy meddlesome approach. She does mature in the course of the film of course, and learns to be truly unselfish. She is then rewarded with a love of her own. Aw.

Director/Writer Amy Heckerling created a fun flick, and a pretty brilliantly current and accessible way to bring Jane Austen to the masses. The characters are, for the most part, fairly harmless and often charming. The dialogue is upbeat and trendy, yet still holds its own years later upon repeated viewings. Also, it may inspire you to read the original, which is more than our favorite John Hughes movies accomplished. Hopefully.


Directed by:
Amy Heckerling

Written by:
Amy Heckerling

Cast:
Alicia Silverstone ... Cher Horowitz
Stacey Dash ... Dionne
Brittany Murphy ... Tai
Paul Rudd ... Josh
Donald Faison ... Murray
Elisa Donovan ... Amber
Breckin Meyer ... Travis
Jeremy Sisto ... Elton
Dan Hedaya ... Mel Horowitz
Wallace Shawn ... Mr. Wendell Hall
Twink Caplan ... Miss Toby Geist
Justin Walker ... Christian

For whatever reason, "Clueless" is currently unavailable on Amazon, but you can re-read Austen (below).

Austen's Works:
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen (Wordsworth Special Editions) (Special Editions)

My Generation of Teens:
Brat Pack Collection (The Breakfast Club/ Sixteen Candles/ Weird Science) Read more!