Catherine: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey in Today's L.A.

I enjoyed how the tone of the play still reflected Jane Austen, even when set in modern times. Lovely performance by the main actress.... full review

Let's be honest, updating Jane Austen to LA is daunting. The woman hated Bath because it was an urban hell hole. Bath! With its Georgian architecture and concerted development laws to keep it Georgian! Nevertheless, Stina Peterson is on to something and if her desire is true - to inspire audiences to read Austen's original novel - than she hits the mark. Also highly enjoyable is Brendan Weinhold's performance. We saw and supported him in Four Tree Plays last fringe and he knocks out another compelling and charming performance in Catherine. Kudos!... full review

The strongest aspects of this production are so clear, the writing and the casting. Pederson's script captures Austin's wit and pace. It's well written and lends itself to the stage very well. The strongest performances are delivered by the title role Catherine, Allison Powell, and her love interest Henry, Brendan Weinhold. However, the ensemble cast presents characters that elicit great reactions and convey strong points of view. The personalities of everyone are very clear. This is a piece that has heart- Powell often doing what the audience wishes they could do with the other cast members- and achieves its goal of "make[ing] you feel happy or idealistic or less alone in our metropolis."... full review

Such a cute play. The protagonists were adorable and lovable and the antagonists were despicable and terrible. Totally enjoyable and endearing. Lovely.... full review

This show is so cute and spot on. Very relatable for anybody who lives in Los Angeles or anybody pursing their dreams. Kristen Day- She has incredible stage presence. Every time she left the stage I wanted her back for more Brendan Weinhold- Such commanding presence. Very charming and sweet and overall a very lovable character. Always a fan of watching the talented Brendan W. but this by far is one of my favorite performances. This is a different side of him I've never seen.. just adding more to his crazy talent. Allison Powell- The lead and the overall voice of the show. Such incredible comedic timing and on point one liners throughout the show. Amy Rose Schumacher- Hilarious!! And over the course of the play you can't hate bu... full review

Enthusiastic and kinetic. Nice pacing in this modern adaptation by Stina Pederson. Allison Powell is the lynch pin of the cast with engaging performances by those around her. The piece has moments that will lead to you empathic frustration on behalf of Catherine's trials, as well as fun moments of levity. You'll leave this show feeling good with a smile. Noble fringe work. ... full review

In this modern take on Jane Austen’s lesser-known work Northanger Abbey, our heroine Catherine has been transported to present-day Los Angeles. A stranger in a big city, Catherine is just beginning to carve out her space in her newfound home, encountering a broad range of characters of varying degrees of integrity. Good and kind Catherine learns to stand on her own feet and live by her convictions. Adaptations of this sort have the unique task of satisfying two audiences: those familiar with the original work and those who are not. Unfortunately, Catherine is not up to the latter task. The story seems to meander along - nods to various subplots surface and disappear with little impact on the central story.... Please read the rest o... full review

Catherine is a failed attempt at translating a work of classic fiction into modern times. It was confusing on several levels; if you are not familiar with the novel you are left questioning the plot and character actions throughout. The use of historical prose was confusing mainly due to its lack of consistency. It was distracting as the characters seemed to go in and out of modern and historical language, making it difficult to believe in them and become emotionally attached. Due to the fact that it was a 200 page novel condensed into a play of less than one hour some scenes felt very choppy and rushed, while others that didn't seem to offer a lot to the storyline felt dragged out and unecessary. Perhaps the use of a narrator or some othe... full review

Though not as familiar with Northanger Abbey as I would like to be, this adaptation excels at transplanting a familiar story into a familiar place, and giving the audience new eyes with which to view old customs (Austen letter-writing tradition and Los Angelino habit of always hustling). ... full review

A fun, short and sweet adaptation! With such an intimate space, a lot of the performances could stand to be dialed down, but I appreciated the passion and energy the cast brought to the story :-)... full review