Jennifer Le Blanc has a rather lofty title for her role on the creative team of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley,” the Jane Austen-inspired play written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.
Le Blanc is the “Regency etiquette consultant” on the production, which opens Dec. 3.
“Isn’t that a great title?” Le Blanc mused.
The title is all about helping to build the Austenian world, but when questioned about how she reached such a pedigree, her conclusion is rather simple.
“I am not a historian and I am not a dramaturg, but what I am is a very nerdy and very curious actor,” Le Blanc said. “In my own acting career, it is probably three-quarters classical work, and I’ve done a ton of Shakespeare, as well as lots of adaptations of Dickens or Jane Austen. I also took ballet for 12 years, which really helps.”
The title is much more than fanciful. Building the world of the British Regency era means understanding the span of time from the early 1800s through around 1820. Sharing fine details of the period and passing that knowledge to her cast is Le Blanc’s main task. Curtsies, snubs, sleights and behavior becoming (or unbecoming) of a Regency woman must pass a certain muster, because the world of the play is dependent upon dramaturgical accuracy.
Artistic director Giovanna Sardelli, who is directing the show, leans toward such accuracy but loves the timeliness of Austen’s works, which include classics such as “Pride and Prejudice” “Sense and Sensibility” and “Emma.” What gives the stories, and Austen’s characters, such longevity (Austen, who died at 41, will have her 250th birthday celebrated during the run) is how coming-of-age stories for young women speak to all generations.
“She is able to capture the longing in everybody’s spirit–of belonging, being seen, finding love, finding relevance–in such a witty, warm, brave, bold way,” Sardelli said. “I think every generation that encounters her stories sees their families and friends, and themselves, in it.”
A huge part of building the world is how the play looks, particularly the costuming skills of longtime designer Cathleen Edwards, whose work spans more than five decades. Edwards loves researching the period, and coming to understand how a piece of clothing or a swatch of fabric can help determine the fate of a character and foreshadow an outcome.
“Color has an emotional component, and if you don’t think it does, then you’re being pretty naive,” Edwards said. “You have to look at the emotional component of the character as well as the emotional component of the play, so (color) plays a lot into it.”
Le Blanc connects deeply to how those emotions help the story and the performances as a whole.
“These things that may feel like quaint old-fashioned behaviors are great acting opportunities,” Le Blanc said. “They are also opportunities to show how one person is feeling about another. In an era where societally, one may not be allowed to (express) emotions, they might express something with a fan.”
For Edwards, even something as simple as gloves is loaded with nuance.
“There must be 10 or 12 rules just with wearing gloves,” Edwards said. “A man does not shake a woman’s hand unless they’re wearing gloves because it’s too intimate. You do not eat or drink with gloves on, and yet you are expected to attend a formal dinner and wear gloves to get there.”
Despite the many rules that inform Austen’s world, Sardelli has found that Peninsula audiences have come to love the sheer joy the author’s stories bring to patrons of all generations, especially during the holiday season.
“Audiences seem to confine themselves in the story quite easily,” Sardelli said. “As we continue to diversify the cast, I think it expands the reach. It’s great to look up on stage and say, ‘That’s what I think family looks like.’ That is something that really excites me.”
“Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley” runs Dec. 3-28 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Tickets are $34-$115 at theatreworks.org or 877-662-8978.
David John Chávez is chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (‘22-‘23); @davidjchavez.bsky.social.