Photos: Inside Look at SENSE AND SENSIBILITY at Theatreworks Silicon Valley

Jane Austen's engaging story of two resilient sisters comes to musical life on stage when TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Regional Premiere of Sense and Sensibility. This sensational work features book, music, and lyrics by Paul Gordon, whose Pride and Prejudice broke box office records when it premiered at TheatreWorks in 2019, and was then streamed by more than 160,000 viewers worldwide at its virtual debut.

Gordon also penned TheatreWorks favorites Jane Austen's EMMA and Daddy Long Legs, and the Tony-nominated Broadway musical Jane Eyre. Based on Jane Austen's well-loved novel, Sense and Sensibility follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood through their abrupt change in fortune after their father's untimely death and ensuing romantic trials, events that test and affirm the bonds of sisterhood.

While Elinor is prudent in matters of life and love, not revealing her heart's true desire, Marianne is wildly impulsive, falling head-over-heels for a dashing but unscrupulous suitor. Directed by TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, Sense and Sensibility will be presented March 9 - April 3, 2022 (press opening: March 12) at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto. For tickets (starting at $30) more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (877)-662-8978.

Sense and Sensibility will also be offered via video streaming, allowing patrons to watch either from home or in-theatre, making these shows accessible to additional audience members, including those unable or unready to attend in- person. More information will be available soon at TheatreWorks.org.

COVID-19 health and safety requirements for Sense and Sensibility include proof of complete vaccination and masks for all staff and audience members while inside the theatre. Patrons who are legally exempted from vaccination must reach out to the TheatreWorks Box Office at least four days prior to their performance. NOTE: requirements are subject to change, for up-to-the-minute regulations for attendance, theatregoers should visit https://theatreworks.org/safetyupdate/.

The charming musical's World Premiere (a co-production by Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Old Globe Theatre) was called "nothing less than sublime" by Chicago Daily Herald and "a beguiling show that bursts with wit and heart" by Chicago Sun-Times. The Wall Street Journal called Sense and Sensibility "a winner...full of wit and romance" while The San Diego Union-Tribune deemed it "an Austen-tatious charmer."

TheatreWorks has assembled a talented cast of local and national veteran performers to bring the Austen favorite to life onstage. Sharon Rietkerk returns to TheatreWorks as the elder Dashwood sister Elinor, recreating the role she originated in the World Premiere productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Old Globe Theatre.

She has been seen in many TheatreWorks productions, including the World Premiere musical Pride and Prejudice, won a San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle (SFBATCC) Award for her performance in Triangle, a Theatre Bay Area (TBA) award for Marry Me a Little, and a SFBATCC Award nomination for her performance in The Secret Garden. She has also been featured in TheatreWorks productions of Cyrano, Little Women, and the 2015 production of Jane Austen's EMMA.

Other awards include a TBA Award for Born Yesterday at Center REPertory Company. Rietkerk has also performed at San Jose Repertory Theatre, 42nd Street Moon, and American Conservatory Theater, in concerts with the San Francisco Symphony and Chicago Cubs, and can be seen in Streaming Musical's filmed theatrical production of EMMA. Antoinette Comer debuts at TheatreWorks as Marianne. Comer performed on Broadway in Mamma Mia! and has been seen in The Town Hall's star-studded concert of Into the Woods and Off-Broadway in Smokey Joe's Café and Sistas: The Musical.

Comer has also appeared in the North American tour of Mamma Mia!, the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and the international tour of Dreamgirls. Comer's regional theatre credits include performances at Paper Mill Playhouse, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and The Palace Theatre.

Check out the production photos below!

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