Northanger Abbey – Moving parts theatre co at Keats House, Hampstead

You could not find a more perfect setting for an evening of Jane Austen than the Keats house museum in Hampstead (A beautiful regency villa that was once home to the poet Keats)

On a sweltering hot summers evening we were led out to the gardens where we gathered on rugs and deckchairs under the shade of the trees, a refreshment stall had been set up for the occasion but the organizers were more than happy for guests to bring their own picnics (which we did.)

Northanger Abbey was Jane Austen’s final and probably least well known work, it is a satire on the gothic fiction novels that were popular at the time (Think Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe etc.) The story centers  around a naive and imaginative young heroine Catherine Morland, who spends her days ‘training to become a heroine’ by reading tales of desolate castles haunted by terrible secrets etc.

When she is taken to Bath (Center of Regency society) for the summer by her wealthy Aunt, she is introduced to many colourful characters including the dashing young Henry Tilney who’s family home is the sinister sounding ‘Northanger Abbey,’ when Catherine is invited to come for a visit will there be dark deeds to uncover…

The beginning of the show was a little convoluted, it opened with a group of students discussing the history and themes of the novel, before spinning out into a skit on proper behavior for young ladies in the 18^th century and finally landing us in the world of Northanger Abbey.

However once we got a our feet firmly planted in the world of Jane Austen it was great fun. As it was a small cast, with the exception of Anna Blackburn who played the heroine Catherine they all assumed multiple roles to bring the show to life, for the most part this worked really well and gave the show a slightly farcical tongue in cheek edge which is just right for a piece of satire.

There was also a musical element led by the very talented Anis Tran Ncoc which was a nice touch, although I did think it was a shame that actor Martin South only got his bass guitar out for the final curtain!

My one slight gripe though is that student characters from the beginning would pop up again at various points throughout the play, and offer their opinions on what was taking place in the story, this 4^th wall breaking was a good idea in theory but in practice I felt it didn’t quite land, I think this was at least partially down to the fact that (Apart from one actress who at least chucked a black t shirt on over her frock) they didn’t bother to change out of regency costumes when they were assuming these roles so it was hard to tell when they were meant to be stepping out of one world and into another. – Come on guys if you can manage multiple character changes including a cross dressing Aunt and Greek chorus of gothic beasties in black curtains then surely you can stick your students in gowns and mortar boards or something?!)

Anyway rant over ! Of course Jane Austen being Jane Austen I don’t need to tell you that it ends with a wedding and a happily ever after but there are plenty of thrills, spills and most importantly humor along the way in this imaginative retelling to make it well worth the ticket price!

‘Northanger Abbey’ Alas has left Keats house and is now touring around London and the southeast until the end of August, calling in at some really interesting venues along the way. You can find more information about it here: https://movingpartstheatre.com/dates-and-venues/

NB: I have it on the good authority of a group of self professed ‘super fans’ that I got chatting to in the queue for the loos that ‘Moving parts’ do come back to Keats House with a new show every year so I would also recommend keeping an eye out for them in 2027!