Lady Susan charms Warwick Theatre

Lady Susan, an early novel by Jane Austen not published in her lifetime, was brought to life for one night only at Warwick’s lovely Bridgehouse Theatre. It is a charming, funny, thought-provoking one-woman show. Dyad Productions, of which the woman in question is Rebecca Vaughan, consists mainly of Rebecca and Andrew Margerison, who directed this production. They punch way above their weight in a simply staged, fast moving show that sees Rebecca play a host of characters from the novel.

One-person shows are very much in vogue at the moment – think Andrew Scott’s brilliant production of Vanya at the National Theatre, for example. They are cheaper to stage than full-company productions, but they place huge demands on the solo actor who must carry the weight of the show more or less on their acting skills alone. Done well - Lady Susan is done well - it makes for thrilling, intimate theatre in which character is very much to the fore.

Lady Susan is Susan Vernon, a middle-ranking aristocrat in Georgian England. She is a widow, and though not penniless, hasn’t enough cash or property to lead the life she expects and wants. Lacking any special talents, save one, she has to rely on her skills as a coquette to make her way. As such she plays upon her relatives’ fortunes and goodwill, which prove to be less than infinite. Unfortunately for her, she can’t resist meddling in other people’s marriages, not least in trying to bring a wedge between her brother Charles and his shrewish wife Catherine. Catherine doesn’t forgive her and does her best to thwart her sister-in-law’s mischievous schemes. These involve various handsome, wealthy, more-or-less eligible men, some with more money than wit or intelligence, and Lady Susan’s daughter Frederica, who should prove a useful tool in her mother’s kit, were she not so romantic and rebellious.

For Lady Susan’s game in not merely, nor even partly, about romance. It’s about power and survival in a world where a woman’s worth is measured in her wealth and in her charms. There’s a dark undercurrent to the story, which is hinted at but is there, nevertheless. Lady Susan does not get everything her own way.

Whether one sees this as social satire or just character-based comedy, there is much to enjoy. I loved the voices of Lady Catherine and the frosty old aristocrat Lady De Courcy, Catherine’s mother. Rebecca switches easily between them all, with only an occasional nod to a male character. Men are not the major players in this game of seduction and survival.

The novel is told in epistolary form, and the dialogue here is in the voices of letters written by one character to another. The postal service, which was very quick at the time, was the social media of its day. Then, as now, people reveal themselves, sometimes inadvertently, often ironically.

Austen’s Women: Lady Susan will next play in the region at The Cidermill Theatre, Chipping Camden on October 27 2024 [email protected] The company is due to tour extensively with this and other minimal shows which, on the basis of this production, are likely to be well worth seeing. Likewise The Bridge House Theatre has some interesting shows coming up www.bridgehousetheatre.co.uk

I for one will be keeping an eye on both of them.