REVIEW: NONSENSE AND SENSIBILITY @ ETCETERA THEATRE

🎭 Nonsense and Sensibility

📍 Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High Street, London, NW1 7BU

🗓 Friday 22nd May 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

A FARCE OF NATURE

Stepping out onto Camden High Street always delivers a distinct jolt to the system. It is a glorious, chaotic assault of sights, sounds, alternative fashion, and heavy bass lines bleeding out of market stalls. Walking that short journey from the tube station, you are fully immersed in Camden's unapologetically vibrant energy before slipping away into a sanctuary for fringe theatre. Nestled snugly above the bustling Oxford Arms pub, the Etcetera Theatre provides the perfect intimate backdrop for NONSENSE AND SENSIBILITY, the punchy debut offering from Ashen Pine Productions.

The premise of the piece is an absolute winner. Two warring exes find themselves trapped in a production of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. When their relentless backstage bickering drives the rest of the cast to walk out before the curtain rises, the pair are forced to play every single part themselves to ensure the curtain stays up.

It is a fantastic setup that kicks off with an immediate burst of energy. Sophie Pell’s writing is delightfully comical and fast-paced. Every single scene is short and snappy, completely stripped of fluff, ensuring the narrative momentum never falters.

Delivering this frantic material are Madeline Pell and Gareth Balai, who both masterfully bridge the fine line between absurdity and realism. They lean heavily into the over-the-top, comical elements of their characters, yet somehow keep them grounded and entirely believable amidst the madness.

Clocking in at a lean 45 minutes, the production moves at lightning speed. In fact, it flies by so quickly that I would have happily sat through at least another 15 minutes of the chaos.

And oh, what wonderful chaos it is. I absolutely loved the sheer anarchy of the piece. Watching the duo scramble to hide scripts around the stage and actively sabotage each other's performances was a joy. The multi-rolling mechanics added a brilliant layer of comedy, with the pair frantically swapping hats and props to signal different characters, and even hilariously taking turns playing the exact same character at different points in the story. It leans beautifully into the kind of farcical romp that I personally really enjoy.

If I have one minor niggle, it is how the show eventually settles down. As the panic subsides, the characters suddenly seem to perfectly know the lines of the entire ensemble. Maybe I missed something, but the sudden shift away from needing scripts or prompts felt a little unexplained given the setup. I wasn't completely sold on the idea of two actors eventually rekindling their love for each other. This felt like an unnecessary addition to me, especially because I really enjoyed the warring narrative.

Apart from that small gripe, this is a remarkably strong and confident piece of theatre. Although its run at the Etcetera Theatre has now concluded, I am positive there is a bright future ahead for this show. I will certainly be keeping a keen eye out for future work from Sophie Pell.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Nonsense and Sensibility was gifted by Ashen Pine Productions who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Madeline Pell as Samantha; Gareth Balai as Bartholomew

RUNNING TIME (approx):

45 minutes, with no interval

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