Produced by Show And Tell

Review by Aislinn McSharry

A raucous, laugh-out-loud theatrical experience, Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel is an absolute delight; Camaraderie between the audience and actors makes for an exciting delirium of Austen-inspired chaos, highlighting the unifying power of theatre.  

The play begins with a clarification that nothing at all has been preplanned for the performance, followed by a recount of Austen’s life: A learned Austen scholar (cast member Lauren Shearing) notes that Austen loved Edinburgh, having lived here for many years, that she loved the Fringe Festival, and most of all, she was a big fan of Oasis (particularly pertinent on the infamous Oasis weekend). This poetically licensed, topical version of events quickly and successfully set the tone for the silliness to ensue.  

The actors asked the audience for a novel title; after a few were thrown around, they settled with “An Autumnal Taxing Dilemma“, chosen for its inclusion of a time, manner, and key plot point, and with just these small prompts, an Austen-esque comedy unravelled. Our cast, scene-by-scene, created the story of a mother (Rachel Parris) who, after forgetting to pay taxes for 30 years, reaches near financial ruin, and whose infantile yet likeable son (Joseph Morpurgo) deals with this poverty, and his subsequent damaged social prospects… all whilst making the audience howl with laughter. Characters like Eleanor Banks, head of HMRC (creating a recurring joke about what on earth HMRC do) skilfully and hilariously performed by Charlotte Gittins, and her long lost love “Nat West” (Graham Dickson), made for particularly humorous interactions, whilst every cast member delivered enthusiastic performances throughout.  

The audience felt that they were conspirators with the cast in a big inside joke: we laughed as they struggled to put together plots and jokes, like Morpurgo’s terrible fruit pun about “weeing on a key”, alluding to a “kiwi”, when tested by other cast members on the spot, or the character of the supposed bald man wearing a wig, which fully-haired Daniel Nils Robert had to somehow communicate.  

An uproarious experience that prioritises pure comedy chaos above all else, it is a great opportunity to dip your toes into improvisation, all whilst embracing the compelling Austen charm. Epitomising theatrical fun, it is not a show to miss.  

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