It has been an utter joy and an honour playing Marianne Dashwood (as well as the unspeakably manipulative Lucy Steele and very fleetingly, for one cross of the stage, Lady Middleton) but now it's time to hang up my empire line dress and come home.
Here I am walking off into the gardens at Cleveland; recreating that famous film moment when Marianne played by Kate Winslet almost catches her death just to get a glimpse of Willoughby's house in The Ang Lee/Emma Thompson Film Adaptation.
In actual fact I'm having an interval sunset stroll at NT Montacute House, which played the role of Mr and Mrs Palmer's country estate Cleveland in the 1995 film. It's always a delight to perform there, to a brilliant sold out audiences.
Sadly Chris did not fancy carrying me back down the tree lines drive-way as Colonel Brandon a la Alan Rickman, and I don't blame him!
Several audiences members seemed to find it interesting that I was playing a character with a name so close to my own and kept asking if it was intentional; no I wasn't cast because of my name, nor was I named after the Austen heroine, but it did make it tricky for the rest of the cast!
Thank you so much to all of our audiences and venues, who made our summer so incredible. A particular shout out has to go to Swavesey Village in Cambridgeshire, who gave us umpteen disruptions and disturbances, that are pure gold and true gifts to a company who thrive on improv, ad libbing and celebrating failure as we do. Special mention to the farmer, his tractor, the farmer's wife, dog walkers, the group cutting and distributing cake in the front row and our drunk Mama played by an audience member. We loved you all.
And I can't do a sign off post without thanking my amazing fellow actors, Alex Rivers, Neil Jennings and Chris Coxon (pictured here outside Wollaton Hall in Nottingham aka Wayne Manor from Batman, once home to the Willoughby's - no relation!) who made touring such a joy even in the blinding rain, with splinters in my bum and a tick to boot! Our writer and director Mark Hayward, our Artistic Director Steve Purcell, costume maker extraordinaire Zoe Hudson and Producer Caitlin Hayward.
To visit either of these amazing historic houses visit; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/montacute-house and https://www.wollatonhall.org.uk/
For information or to see the next Pantaloons show check out the website; https://thepantaloons.co.uk/shows/
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