Violeta Picayo and Chris Murray with members of the cast of "Sense & Sensibility" at The Armory. (Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv)

How do you adapt a beloved classic like "Sense & Sensibility" into a play?

You could immerse the audience in Jane Austen's 18th-century England with elaborate sets, detailed costumes and an oppressive sense of propriety and manners. Or, like playwright Kate Hamill, rework it into a freewheeling postmodern comedy.

Portland Center Stage's production of the New York-based Bedlam theater company's adaptation throws preciousness and strict adherence to period out the window in favor of physical comedy and self-referential humor.

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(From left) Lauren Modica, Ryan Quinn, Danea C. Osseni, Quinlan Fitzgerald and Jamie Smithson in "Sense & Sensibility" at The Armory. (Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv)

When Henry Dashwood dies, his wife and their three daughters lose their home because of property laws that favor his son from a previous marriage. After being turned out of their estate, the women end up in a small cottage on the property of Mrs. Dashwood's cousin. "Sense & Sensibility" follows the two older daughters, Elinor (Danea C. Osseni) and Marianne (Quinlan Fitzgerald), through a series of unfortunate events and romantic mishaps.

Opening with a dance number to a pop song, director Eric Tucker leans into Hamill's contemporary aesthetic. The fourth wall is thin in this production; the actors wink knowingly to the audience as they perform. A few crew members even show up onstage. Tucker pushes the production at a breakneck speed, but also knows when to give the emotions of the story space to breathe, keeping it from becoming a parody of itself.

To aid in the quick pace, the design is pared back and efficient. Costumes are simple but versatile - a few brightly colored accessories and comically bad wigs allow the actors to switch from one character to another within a scene. The few set pieces fly on and offstage on wheels or from pulleys. Tucker uses all these moving pieces to create a continuous sense of movement, constantly shifting the audience's perspective in the scene.

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Danea C. Osseni as Elinor Dashwood and Quinlan Fitzgerald as Marianne Dashwood with members of the cast of "Sense & Sensibility" at The Armory. (Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv)

"Sense & Sensibility" is a show of diametric opposites. Elinor is sense: rational, proper, collected. Marianne is sensibility: emotional, indecorous, scattered. Each navigates her struggles in her own way. As this is the 1800s, these struggles are a maze of rigid social expectations designed to enforce strict hierarchies. To modern audiences these stakes are pretty low, but Hamill utilizes the cast as a chorus, filling the background with gossiping socialites and prying eyes, keeping the feelings of constant surveillance at the forefront.

Strengths: This show is funny. And it's funny at every level. Hamill's script mixes period and modern dialogue, creating humor by juxtaposition. Tucker's staging keeps the energy high and throws in a lot of visual humor. Between both of them, this makes the show joke-dense, somewhere between snappy sitcom and cartoon. And the cast handles the abundance of humor and occasional moment of pathos deftly. Watching them effortlessly navigate a series of finely coordinated transitions like clockwork makes the show a visual treat.

Weaknesses: The problem with stage adaptations of novels is always that they are stage adaptations of novels. Any more cutting and the show would become incomprehensible, but this production pushes an almost three-hour run time. While Act 1 is light and clips along, Act 2 struggles to keep the same energy and tone. Structurally, this is when Austen really starts testing her heroines, but it creates a disjointed feel between the halves and you start to feel how long the show is. Act 2 is also when the humor grates occasionally, bordering on self-indulgent.

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The cast of "Sense and Sensibility" includes Lauren Modica (second from left) as the incorrigible gossip Mrs. Jennings. (Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv)

Best Moment/Most Valuable Performer: The entire cast is excellent, but Lauren Modica as Mrs. Jennings, the self-appointed matchmaker for the Dashwood sisters and an incorrigible gossip, is a constant joy. She imbues her character with a delightful wickedness and eccentricity. It sounds unassuming, but the best moment of the show is watching her make the slowest exit imaginable, inching herself offstage in a chair. Brash jokes and energy crackling below the surface aren't the only things that make something funny - sometimes it's quiet tension, drawn out past its breaking point.

Takeaway: Despite the dazzling visuals and cracking humor there's nothing surprising about this show. It's a reimagining, not a subversion of Austen. But what makes her work endure is not that it's surprising. It's that it's relatable. Hamill's adaptation is still, at its heart, a story about learning to love and maintaining family bonds. Underneath the quips and self-referential humor, there's earnestness and a tenderness for her characters. And it will make you laugh. A lot.

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(From left) Violeta Picayo, Kelly Godell, Danea C. Osseni and Ryan Quinn in Bedlam's "Sense & Sensibility" at The Armory. (Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv)

"Sense and Sensibility"

When: Various times and dates through Feb. 10.

Where: The Armory, 128 N.W. 11th Ave.

Tickets: $25-$92, pcs.org or 503-445-3700.

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