Speed and motion. These are the predominant features of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) production of Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Actors briskly wheel in set pieces for the frequent scene changes. Gaggles of gossips — actors in the ensemble embodying the toxic social milieu of early 19th-century landed-gentry society — swirl and natter. Dinner gatherings, replete with genteel sniping and misunderstanding, proceed at an Aaron Sorkin-like pace. The “madcap landscape of physicality” that director Gené Fouché describes in her program note as a virtue of Hamill’s adaptation extends to almost all the characters. The kindly, rather sweet, Edward Ferrars (Matt Harris) not only has a singular awkwardness in his social interactions; he is also a klutz with a propensity for running into tables. When two characters share a particularly salacious bit of gossip in the second act, their exultant celebration becomes a wild dance to a snippet of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Shea-Mikal Green and Kiersten Gasemy in ‘Sense and Sensibility.’ Photo by Spence Photographics. Christian Harris, as the uber-gossipy Mrs. Jennings, is madcap all by himself. Margaret, the youngest of the three Dashwood sisters (Kiersten Gasemy), is all headlong teenage impetuosity, showing affection through hugs that closely resemble tackles. The emotions of Marianne Dashwood (Shea-Mikal Green) never fall short of mercurial, from romantic rapture to despairing heartbreak. Vivid physicality need not be over-the-top. Two of the most admirable characters in the story, Elinor, the oldest the three Dashwood sisters (Tori Weaver), and Col. Brandon (Bill Dennison) stand out because of their relatively still, but resolute, presence. Both are examples of Austen’s “sense” — restraint, quiet honor — as distinct from the “sensibility” — ungoverned giving way to feeling — exemplified by Marianne. The unpleasant characters are also sketched in broad strokes. Willem Rogers plays a doubleheader of disreputable Johns: John Dashwood, whose failure to care relegates the sisters and their mother to a straightened existence, and the caddish John Willoughby, who breaks Marianne’s heart. In his final scene, Rogers does a fine job of showing that John W deceives himself as readily as he deceives susceptible young ladies. Kira Gandolfo, meanwhile, gives us two doses of sharp-edged meanness. As Fanny Dashwood, John D’s wife, she persuades her husband to exile his relations from their home. As Lucy Steele, intuiting Elinor’s unspoken feelings for Edward, she twists the emotional knife by boasting to Elinor of her longstanding engagement to him. Kiersten Gasemy, Kira Gandolfo, Elisa Rodero, Shea-Mikal Green, Christian Harris, and Lauren McKenna in ‘Sense and Sensibility.’ Photo by Spence Photographics. One of the delightful aspects of Hamill’s adaptation is that not only Rogers and Gandolfo but many of the other actors play multiple roles, as well as being part of the gossip ensemble. Harris, for example, plays not only Edward Ferrars but his dimmer brother Robert, with his fixation on cottages. At times, the pace and tone of the play downshift to smaller — often two-character — quieter scenes. Both by their contrast to the remainder of the production and by their ability to allow the audience to see deeper into key characters like Elinor, Col. Brandon, and Edward, these are among the show’s most effective moments. MET’s designers deliver a look and sound for the production that matches the quality of the acting and direction. The costumes (Elizabeth Tringali and Judy Harkins) fit not only the period but the nature of the characters. One nice example is that Col. Brandon is given a much simpler costume than the other men, appropriate to his straightforward character. Likewise, Elinor’s costume is less fashionable than that of her rival, the conniving Lucy Steele. Kaydin Hamby’s busy and varied sound design effectively underlines the mood of each scene. Scenic designer Shana Joslyn’s mobile platforms, tables, and chairs that the actors hustle in and out create a flexible, ever-changing setting for the play’s multiple locations. For the production, MET arranges the seating areas into a shallow oval, with the theater’s main entrance at one end. This facilitates the rapid exchange of set pieces between scenes, but it has a downside for some of the audience’s sight lines. Particularly in multiple-character and ensemble scenes, I found myself looking at a lot of actors’ backs, which sometimes screened from view whichever actor was delivering a line at the time. A nod should go to dramaturg Laura Stark, whose lobby boards did a good job of explaining some of the intricacies of 19th-century inheritance law that create the kind of predicament in which the Dashwood sisters find themselves. The world of Jane Austen’s novels can be a terrifying one for its women, who, given the legal and social rules of the time, must deal with great insecurity about their futures, dependent as they are upon the whims of men and their ability to make a good marriage, or not. The comedic style of Hamill’s adaptation, in MET’s fine rendering, provides reassurance that things will turn out well for the characters we most care about. Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission. Sense and Sensibility plays through through October 13, 2024, presented by Maryland Ensemble Theatre performing in the group’s downstairs theater at 31 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, MD (across the street from the Weinberg Center). Tickets ($15–$35, with discounts available for students, senior citizens, students, and military) may be purchased by phone at (301) 694-4744, online, or in person at the MET box office Tuesday–Friday, 12–6 pm and one hour before performances. A limited number of Pay What You Will tickets are available for each performance starting at $5 each, while inventory lasts. MET cautions audience members that because the air conditioning is cranked up for the comfort of the very active actors, it is prudent to dress warmly. Long sleeves or sweaters were very much in order on opening night. Sense and Sensibility By Kate Hamill Adapted from Jane Austen Directed by Gené Fouché