Sense and Sensibility
at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School

Reviewed on December 3, 2021

Kenneth Anderson
Annandale High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

Between flurries of classical music and bouts of posh laughter, one loses all sense of the modern world and is transported into the 18th century by Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School's production of "Sense & Sensibility."

Sense & Sensibility, one of English author Jane Austen's most famous works, has cemented itself as a classic within the realms of English literature. The novel explored the greatly altered circumstances and lives of the three Dashwood sisters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, after the death of their father. The sisters received almost no inheritance money and departed their family home at the discretion of their older half-brother and his wife, John and Fanny Dashwood, the main benefactors of their father's passing. The sisters and their mother thus navigated family and romantic drama in their new modest home, Barton Cottage. This 2014 rendition of the show by Kate Hamill featured a simple and mobile set, with most stationary aspects on wheels.

Portraying the main duo of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood were Abigail Allard and Chloe Davies, displaying sisterly and playful chemistry within the endless scandals into which they found themselves thrust. With their vocal stability and enunciation, the two molded entertaining characters and effectively carried the story along. Antonio Gutierrez (Colonel Brandon) showed exceptional character development, though subtle, establishing his presence as a reliable and confident character. Yared Pierce, playing Edward Ferrars, offered natural and sentimental dialogue in his English accent, while Grace Hall, playing the young Margaret Dashwood, was comedic and had the audience roaring with laughter with every exaggerated facial and body movement she made. Charles Mayer (John Willoughby) successfully formed a character the audience loved to hate.

The Gossip Ensemble and all the featured roles they played throughout the show added comedic effect and were essential to making an eye-catching production. Whether they looked upon all the drama through the middle of hanging picture frames or held trees and branches to establish changes in scenery, these members were lively, engaged, and never failed to elicit a chuckle or gasp from the audience.

Crucial to the show's clear smoothness between transitions and specificity in scene changes was its tech. The work of stage managers Virginia Weina and Jessica Kokotajlo helped keep order and efficiency with every entrance of a rolling chaise or table. Jason Brunsman and Sofia Gutierrez's lighting decisions, between spotlights on characters during monologues and softer lighting during transitions, created clarity within the controlled chaos of the production. The use of classical music by sound designers Theresa Varga and Victoria Salley as set pieces were rolled in made such transitions whimsical.

The conflation of sophistication and scandal in "Sense & Sensibility" at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School was nothing short of a joyful production.

Amelia Preble
Robinson Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

A warm glow illuminates the stage, revealing faces in picture frames. They come forward, inviting us into an Austenian world of family and enemies, balls and cottages, love and betrayal. Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School's production of "Sense and Sensibility" stunned audiences for two short hours of hope, despair, laughter, and tears.

"Sense and Sensibility", a stage adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel by the same name, follows sisters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood as they navigate the challenges of womanhood, romance, and heartbreak. The dually comedic and heart-wrenching story is full of opportunities to showcase a talented cast.

Chloe Davies, as Marianne Dashwood, led the show with a rare maturity and connection to the character. Davies mastered both the feisty wit of her character throughout the first act and the vulnerability in the second. Her clear understanding of Marianne's deeper emotions and experiences shone through in a stunning and captivating performance. Abigail Allard as Elinor, the more reserved and thoughtful of the Dashwood sisters, worked beautifully with Davies. The two maintained the strong sibling dynamic between their contrasting characters and showed the growth in their relationship over the course of the play.

In a show with constant scene and location changes, it would be easy to let transitions become moments of low energy. However, in a creative twist, actors were moved on and off stage in rolling chairs by their fellow cast members. These well-choreographed and impressively executed movements maintained the immersion and energy of the show. The cast was united as an ensemble, working with each other not only in these transitions, but to form the settings of a variety of scenes. In just a moment they could become a tree, a ballroom, or a moving carriage, complete with a neighing horse. This cooperation and togetherness paid off in a clean and efficient performance.

The technical elements highlighted the talented performers and demonstrated the skill of the show's designers. The lighting, by Jason Brunsman and Sofia Gutierrez, was simple and realistic, with tasteful use of spotlights to highlight important characters and moments. At the height of the show's action, the storm scene, sound (by Theresa Varga and Victoria Salley) and lighting worked in tandem to pull off the most technically impressive moments in the show: flashes of lighting, claps of thunder, and pouring rain. Between lighting, sound, and stage management (by Virginia Weina and Jessica Kokotajlo), the unsung hero of this production was the cue pickup. Each scene moved quickly to the next without any mistakes, despite the large number of moving pieces and the differences between each setting.

Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School's heartwarming performance serves to remind us all of the power of hope and community. After so long without opportunity for live performance, the love and care put into this show was evident in its powerful delivery.

Arielle Else
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com

Filled with wit, charm, and powerful commentary on the captivity of the prestigious social classes, Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School brought Jane Austen's iconic tale of Sense and Sensibility to life.


Sense and Sensibility, originally a novel, was adapted into a play by Kate Hamill, published in 2014. The beloved tale revolves around the Dashwood family with themes of dependency, love, and inheritance that are woven into each pivotal scene. The eldest sister, Elinor, is representative of common sense as she is more reserved and prioritizes rational thinking. In contrast, her younger sister, Marianne, embodies sentiment and sensitivity. They were practically thrust into poverty following the death of their father, and when they both find themselves dealing with indistinguishable romantic troubles, their juxtaposing approaches take the audience on a heartfelt journey filled with humor and betrayal.


The actors in Sense and Sensibility took on a dangerous venture. It's no simple undertaking to deal with Jane Austen's intricate literary work. The cast and crew deserve respect in many aspects as the usage of language was particularly noticeable throughout. Everyone spoke with elegance in the tough and hefty dialect, and the performers looked to be well-versed in the language's implications and repercussions. The clarity was noticed by the audience, and it further engaged them in a tricky task where many other productions may fall short.


The delicate connection between sisters Elinor and Marianne, portrayed by Abigail Allard and Chloe Davies, highlighted the complicated relationship between sisters who sometimes dispute but remain close friends. Austen's lavish words and scathing remarks were well received by the girls, and the cycle of arguments and forgiveness continued unabated. Davies' angry language and high emotions contrasted sharply with Allard's sincerity and honesty.


Mrs. Dashwood, played by Diana Mollo, struck a careful balance between reason and sympathy as the sisters' mother. Her soft voice and kind manner were ideal for her work as the mother of two children who were worlds apart. The many love interests, especially Antonio Gutierrez's Colonel Brandon, were all charming in their own way. Edward Ferrars, played by Yared Pierce, was endearingly uncomfortable at first but eventually matured into exquisite amiability, whereas his seductive elegance and easy wit made him almost too wonderful to be true.


Channeling a minimalist and abstract set design, the use of rolling chairs and tables elevated the piece and added a personal, modern twist to the classic portrayal. Kudos to the stage managers, Virginia Weina and Jessica Kokotajlo, must be made as they were charged with the tedious task of recording each cue and movement to ensure smooth transitions between scenes.


Jane Austen's work continues to captivate audiences as a timeless story of polar opposites and unexpected romance. Thanks to the hard work of the students of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, the characters from Sense and Sensibility have been resurrected from the pages and brought onstage to speak to us once more.

Shailey (Shay) Pratt
Robinson Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Lorton Valley Star

Jane Austen has inspired countless analyses, interpretations and stage adaptations, but Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School's "Sense and Sensibility" as written by Kate Hamill was a stand out moment for Austenians this past weekend. The cast of the original rom-com charmed audiences with a sophisticated and compelling show that is a proven delight.

"Sense and Sensibility" follows the romantic and social intrigues of the Dashwood sisters- Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret- and their journeys to matrimony. Elinor, the allegory for sense, is entangled in an unspoken and distant romance with the otherwise-engaged Edward Ferrars, while Marianne, who represents sensibility, discovers passion, heartbreak, and subsequently new emotion. Unpredictability ensues. Hamill's stage play specifically involves a minimal set, simple technical elements, and fewer cast members, and Saint John Paul the Great's production was a respectful tribute to each aspect of the writer's vision.

Cumulatively, the cast and crew of "Sense and Sensibility" should be proud of the work they put into a demanding and complex story. With a show that is easily two hours long, they managed to captivate and fascinate viewers with every moment. Sometimes, it can be easy to fall short of the energy needed for an Austenian play to be intriguing, but every person on stage had the commitment necessary to pull it off entirely in character. The stage management was on track for success and each entrance, exit, and prop was as it should be.

Spearheading the play were Abigail Allard and Chloe Davies, playing Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, respectively. Each sister had a complex character arc that warmed the hearts of any audience member, and Davies was the talk of the town with her portrayal of the spirited and compassionate Marianne. Mirroring the two actresses were Yared Pierce playing Edward Ferrars and Antonio Gutierrez playing Colonel Brandon. The quartet made for two swoon-worthy love-matches.

The ensemble of the show, lovingly called "The Gossips," executed each transition and scene with cheerfulness and alacrity. This was a challenging task, considering the entire (entire!) set was on wheels. No less was it fascinating to watch- dinner scenes done on rotation, parlor scenes with sliding silhouettes, tableaux struck and moved offstage in perfect unison. The tech complimented each decision to achieve the zeitgeist needed for Austen's and Hamill's unique inspirations. Simple lighting (Jason Brunsman and Sofia Gutierrez) and clear sounds (Theresa Varga and Victoria Salley) merged to encapsulate the aura of an early nineteenth century community.

The dramatics at Saint John Paul the Great deserve great kudos on accomplishing the deeply difficult, as well as deeply loved, "Sense and Sensibility". They gossiped and giggled, the audience along with them.

Hailey O'Connell
Robinson Secondary School
Submitted for publication to The Catholic Herald

Remember when you were a young child, and one of your favorite things to do was to spin around in your parents' office chairs? If there was anything that could recapture that moment, but later in life, it would be Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School's production of Sense and Sensibility.

Sense and Sensibility, set in England during the early 19th century, followed the story of the Dashwood sisters, Marianne and Elinor, as they attempted to navigate through life after the death of their father, who organized his will and inheritance poorly. The two sisters traversed their complicated love lives, initially with John Willoughby and Edward Ferrars, before Marianne and Elinor ended up with Colonel Brandon and Edward Ferrars, respectively.

As previously alluded to, one of the most memorable aspects of Saint John Paul the Great's production of Sense and Sensibility was its rolling chair set. As a large fraction of the show involved the characters sitting onstage, entrances and exits coexisted with the set pieces to highlight the contrast between different rooms in the old English homes. Characters were pushed onstage by ensemble members for their entrances while in rolling chairs and rolling tables also commonly transitioned. Another noteworthy aspect of the show was the cast's energy. The show's time period and subject manner prepared for a slower-paced performance, but the cast did a great job at keeping the energy up and pushing the plot forward.

Taking a closer look at the lead cast, Chloe Davies' performance of Marianne Dashwood was truly remarkable. Chloe was able to create that attachment for her character that many miss after the curtains draw. Additionally, the chemistry between her and her sister Elinor Dashwood, played by Abigail Allard, captured the true sister relationship. Another noteworthy performance was that of Antonio Gutierrez, who played Colonel Brandon. Antonio's demeanor and actions captured the true essence of his character, while adding his own touches.

The general Gossips Ensemble executed their transitions very smoothly, which added to the energy level of the show. Notable scenes included a scene depicting a walk through the woods, in which fake tree branches were used to imitate the forest; as well as a carriage ride scene, in which ensemble members moved the chairs from behind the onstage cast to mimic the movement of the cart. Jackson Berg, who played The Horse in this scene, put on an excellent and comedic performance that lightened the mood. Another performance that stood out was that of Therion Epie-Alobwede, who played Robert Ferrars. His comedic personality, particularly in his "cottage" monologue, kept the audience engaged in the story.

Technical elements also contributed to the production. The use of a versatile picture frame set further upstage allowed for the sense of a background when certain characters would stand in frame to listen and react to what was happening downstage. The simplistic but effective lighting reflected well the time period of the play and assisted in hinting at the time of the day. The sound (Theresa Varga and Victoria Salley) and lighting (Jason Brunsman and Sofia Gutierrez) teams, as well as stage management (Virginia Weina and Jessica Kokotajlo), together worked well to match cues in timing in scenes such as that of the thunderstorm. Overall, the technical teams worked well collaboratively.

Collectively, all the tiny details involved in Saint John Paul the Great's production made it an enjoyable and memorable show. The plot of the story was accurately portrayed and appropriately moved forward. One might even characterize it as "sensible".