Dyad presents Austen's Women

My fascination with Jane Austen came about when I decided that Emma could provide me with a guide to contemporary manners. Like many of my delusions, it lasted for most of an Edinburgh Festival, and saw me doing a pitiful impersonation of Mr Darcy while making claims for the importance of restrained conversation and the value of "good language" over "important content." Right in the middle of this period, I caught Austen's Women, directed by Guy Masterson and waxed lyrical about how it was "Immaculately conceived and performed with precision by Bex Vaughan...  an exercise in how traditional values - good words, simple sets, strong acting - can better radicalism."

Those who knew me at school would be doubtless amused by my conversion to Jane Austen. When I studied it back then, I spent most of the year moaning about its lack of political relevance. 

Rebecca Vaughan's script uses Austen's various novels to weave a compilation of a nineteenth century woman's meditations on femininity: directed by a Fringe veteran, it has the necessary populist edge without becoming sentimental or precocious. Using fourteen of Austen's characters, and throwing in surprises from her lesser known works, the show exploits Austen's range: from irritating teenagers through deluded romantics to mature-minded bores, Austen catches recognisable detail, rarely descending into outright caricature. 

Each speech explores a different angle on the status, plight and ambition of women, building to a comprehensive and multi-layered conclusion. Even stripped of their context, Austen's elegant use of irony shines, while the occasional cutting turn of phrase reveals a subtle mischief beneath the coy prose. 

Vaughan and Masterson's adaptation of her most famous heroines and villains studies both the depth and intensity of Austen's interests. As my younger self recognised, she was never that interested in the impact of social upheaval, but the conflict between passion and social propriety is never far from the surface. 

While it might seem a conservative production - the costume and set make it clear that this is a period piece - it allows the script to dictate the interpretation.  A joy for anyone who cares about language, it is a welcome addition to the season at Macrobert.