Having seen the previous Niton Playhouse shows, and hearing this one was again penned by Val Hayward and a celebration of the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, I came to Niton Village Hall with extremely high expectations – and I’m delighted to say they were more than met. What a fabulous way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

If like me you are an Austen admirer, there are snippets of dialogue, overt references, sneaky Austen-type names, and character traits peppered through this script; clearly written by someone steeped in her novels and Regency literature. The dialogue is also Austenesque – really setting the period for the audience but a challenge for the cast (which they rose to with apparent ease!).

If Austen is not to your taste, the production still gives a real flavour of early 18^th century life on the Isle of Wight, with local settings and characters; on a wider level, genteel society of the time is convincingly portrayed, and social customs – and the fallout from them – explored. Even if you’re not into history, the story and engaging characters carry you along – and there’s music and audience participation too!

The storyline (no spoilers here in case the production is repeated – please?) again involves typical Austen themes – entailment of estates; the rebellious young woman who dares to have a mind of her own – along with Island and social history – smuggling; local vicars supplementing their income by taking in pupils; unwanted babies – and weaves them all into a plot which is by turns tragic, poignant, dramatic, suspense-laden and rip-roaringly hilarious.

A bit of me would like to see the Niton Playbox in a larger theatre space so more can enjoy their shows – yet their home in Niton Village Hall gives a lovely intimate, family atmosphere – along, it has to be said, with many challenges for the backstage team…what do I mean team? Having seen the backstage area, there’s no room for a team! Jayne Hill ably stage manages along with taking a supporting role as the kindly housekeeper, Mrs Bevan. Jody Berry supports her with costume changes – mention must be made here  of the lovely Regency costumes, including accessories – and I’m guessing it’s all hands on deck for the cast to do scene changes – yet every change is slick, the pace kept up, and full use made of the front of stage area. Many larger-scale productions could use a lesson or two on stage management from this group. Sound and lighting too work well to complement the acting: every word is clear and every face seen.

But there’s little point in having a well-crafted script and great technical support if your actors are not up to the job – and again, the – very young, in the main – cast don’t let the company down. There are a few more mature actors – the forementioned Mrs Bevan’s employer, Rev Edward Stewart was ably portrayed by William Nixon, who treated us to a couple of his sermons along the way, followed by asking the audience, as the churchgoers, to join him in hymn singing – a lovely touch.

Rob Walker-Green combined the support roles of fearsome Black Dog the smuggler and the upstanding butler Quartermain – but what was his secret? He was certainly very loyal to his mistress, Lady Francis Fitzherbert, played by Katie Walker-Green – and what a powerhouse of a performance. I was terrified of her – yet given her social situation and background, we could actually see that she thought she was doing the right thing.

Her actions however, were to have unforeseen consequences for many local people, notably the two main female characters: Charlotte Fitzherbert and Eleanor Stewart. Freya  Edwards gave a perfectly nuanced performance as Charlotte, an independent minded young lady who doesn’t always think through the consequences of her actions; while Ellen Careless as Eleanor has shades of Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett – again, a thoughtful and independent person whose prejudices almost rob her of the happiness she deserves. Both girls were perfectly cast – Ellen also gave a convincing cameo as Lady Venetia Fitzherbert  – and her piano playing was an added delight. Florence Fradgley was a gentle, empathetic Elsie – Charlotte’s nursemaid, who was also unwillingly hiding the past from her.

Playing against them as the romantic heroes were Miles Harvey and Oliver Back as Sir Nicholas de Vere and Edmund Seymour – again, both were perfectly cast. Miles was the epitome of the entitled (in both senses) young heir to a landed estate: he gave us the superior attitude…until he fell in love with the local vicar’s daughter. Miles also gave us the extra treat of his pure singing voice. Oliver also excelled as Nicholas’s less wealthy, therefore rather more humble and initially likeable, cousin. Finally though, we were all rooting for the ladies to marry the men of their choice – and Austen herself would have approved of the ending.

There were also many even younger actors worthy of note. Noah Walker-Green was hilariously hideous as the obnoxious Sebastian Worthington, heir to the Fitzherbert estate, a role he combined with that of Rev Stewart’s eldest son Thomas. Emily Evans was demure as Edmund’s sister Sofia, the apparent object of Sebastian’s interest. The Stewart family also included Polly Careless and Maisie Walker-Green in a cheeky double act as Amy and Alice: their commentary about the amours of their elders added to the humour – I could see these two growing up to be Kitty and Lydia Bennett if they’re not careful! Both girls also portrayed young versions of the main characters with humour and empathy respectively. Freddie Nixon completed the Stewart family as Barnaby and again appeared as a young Nicholas, while Ozzy Cornes, Alannah Griffiths and Gertie Nixon all supported in double (at least) roles: all showing a maturity on stage beyond their years.

If that wasn’t enough, the cast also appeared as smugglers, and in the masked ball scene there were some beautiful Regency dancing. Most of the actors also contributed to the musical interludes, singing songs from the period which again supported the 18^th century feel of the show. Musical accompaniment mainly relied on Rosie Hayward’s keyboards mastery, and featured Esther Harvey who delighted us with her flute playing, along with Tony Careless (also Master of Ceremonies) on guitar and percussion. Rosie and Tony, along with Ellen, also directed the show, and they can be very very proud of themselves and everyone concerned with this wonderful show. Well done all.