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Chicago Tribune

La Grange's LATTE Theater updates Jane Austen's ‘Sense and Sensibility'

For its summer show, La Grange-based LATTE Theater will bring Jane Austen's first novel to life in a stage adaptation of 'Sense and Sensibility.' The production will run July 24 to July 26 at the ensemble's usual venue, Plymouth Place Senior Living. 'It's as if Monty Python and Jane Austen had a baby,' LATTE founder and artistic director Felicia Pfluger said. The plot in this version of the story revolves around the dying Henry Dashwood making his son John promise to provide for his stepmother Elinor and half sisters Marianne and Margaret from his inheritance. But his wife talks him into cutting them off and leaving them significantly less affluent. John's wife's family and other friends become involved in romantic schemes and counter-schemes familiar to any Jane Austen fan. Weaving through the narrative are themes involving the patriarchal nature of the period's inheritance laws, the unfair marginalization of women, and the value of female prudence represented by mother Elinor and Marianne's impetuosity or 'sensibility.' While Pfluger normally adapts LATTE's productions herself, drawing from various sources, this time she paid royalties for the published version created by actor and writer Kate Hamill. Hamill adapted the book for the stage and played the younger sister, Marianne, in a 2014-2016 production of the play at New York's City's Bedlam Theater Company. 'I was actually planning on writing a version, but when I read this I just felt like I stepped outside in a renaissance fair where it was just so vibrant and so fun,' Pfluger said. 'You knew that something was coming and you didn't know what it was, but you just wanted to have fun and watch it happen … it's just so life-like that it balances the mirth and I think that really helps you feel the story more.' Another new approach by LATTE for this production is bringing more college students into the cast. One is Tomas Kowalchuk, 23, a Willowbrook resident and student at the College of DuPage, who plays the son, John, and two other characters. He talked about acting in this show and how different it was from other parts he had performed. 'I would say mostly the dialogue,' he said. 'It's just a different way of speaking compared to modern language, so there can be some strange tongue twisters, but that helps me learn, too.' Offsetting that was the enjoyment of playing the bad guy. 'It was pretty fun playing my role, since I get to be a bit of a cad and villain,' Kowalchuk said. Another college student, 19-year-old Brookfield resident Cassidy Monti, a student at Western Michigan University, plays the younger daughter, Marianne. 'This show is different to perform, with a lot of scene changes, and quick thinking,' she said. 'My character is always moving, always speaking, always on stage, even when she's down and out for the count, so it's a lot of remembering what I have to do next.' Monti said her character felt familiar. 'Marianne is a character who I really connect with,' she said. 'She reminds me of myself and it's new and exciting to play a character that has so much of me in it. As soon as I read for Marianne the first time, I felt at home.' While college students are an increasing presence in LATTE productions, the group still has plenty of parts for teens of all ages. Isla Baker, 14, of Downers Grove, plays Mrs. Dashwood, the kindly mother of the girls, and two other characters. 'I have multiple roles in this play and this is the first time I've had that experience,' the veteran of other LATTE productions, said. 'This is the first romantic show I've performed in and it has taught me a lot about balancing reason and emotion in romantic and platonic relationships.' Felicia Pfluger talked about her approach to directing. 'We started by watching the beautiful version of the movie that Emma Thompson wrote, and discussing the book and the character. We talk about what makes each character tick, every action and reaction, and what makes each character real,' she said. The La Grange LATTE Theater's production of Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' runs from July 24 to 26, with evening performances Thursday and Friday, and a matinee and evening show on Saturday. The performance will be in the Plymouth Place for Senior Living's auditorium, 315 N. La Grange Road, La Grange Park. Information is at