Emma Thompson is set to lead the cast of the Audible audio drama Becoming Meg Dashwood, and Radio Times has revealed the first clip. Becoming Meg Dashwood, written by Rebecca Humphries, is a sequel to Jane Austen’s timeless 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Thompson will lead the voice cast as the adult version of the titular Margaret Dashwood, the youngest sister of the Dashwood clan.
Joining Thompson is Adolescence and The Crown star Erin Doherty, who will split duties with Thompson, playing the younger version of Meg. The rest of the impressive cast includes Naomi Ackie, who will play the younger version of Meg’s lover, Nelly, Liz Carr as Mrs. Dashwood, Jessica Gunning as Hester, Paterson Joseph as Colonel Brandon, Greg Wise as Dr Keats, Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Jennings, and Golda Rosheuvel as the older version of Nelly.
The audio drama is available for pre-order through Audible and will launch on Monday, October 6. The audio clip is exclusive to Radio Times, but you can click on the link above in the first sentence for a listen.
Becoming Meg Dashwood Explores Themes Jane Austen Wasn’t Able To In Her Era
Jane Austen’s books continue to endure for a reason; in their era, her novels were considered quite progressive and daring. Austen held a looking glass up to the absurdities and hypocrisy of high society and societal expectations, poking gentle fun at them through her wry observational writing and witty female characters.
Even so, Austen was still constrained in many ways by the box of her time. Thompson, who is also a producer on the audio drama, is excited about the fact that Humphries’ sequel explores things that Austen wasn’t able to: “Their vision for the youngest Dashwood sister takes us from Austen’s world into the more hidden parts of women’s lives, parts that were not written about at the time, at least not openly.” The synopsis sheds more light on her words:
“Marriage is not for Margaret Dashwood. Where others see duty, Margaret sees entrapment and rage. But when an invitation from family friend Mrs Jennings hurls her into the chaotic heart of Covent Garden and Soho, Margaret discovers an intoxicating world beyond afternoon tea and polite society.
“Here she meets three women who live unapologetically: Nelly, an impulsive actress; Hester, a witch who works in the textile factory; and Inge, a sex worker who loves money and knows exactly how to get it. Here, Margaret’s rage is celebrated, along with her musical talents, and in their fierce company she is reborn as Meg: artist, and woman of hidden fires.
“All four women dare to imagine a life dictated by pleasure, politics, and possibility. But such a life demands sacrifice. Especially when Meg’s feelings for Nelly – tender, electric, terrifying – begin to deepen. How does one fall in love, when that love has no name?”
Becoming Meg Dashwood Is A New Twist On One Of Emma Thompson’s Most Iconic Roles
Jane Austen and romance fans will, of course, know Emma Thompson from Ang Lee’s unmatched 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, and her turn as protagonist Elinor Dashwood. That has become one of Thompson’s most iconic roles, an impressive feat in a career that has had so many memorable ones.
In the original novel and in Thompson’s previous portrayal, Elinor Dashwood has always been pragmatic, practical, and reserved and restrained in her emotions; she is the “sense” aspect of the title. As the eldest daughter, she had to be the well-behaved role model for her more wayward younger sisters, and Thompson’s performance in the 1995 adaptation, which was also written by her, brought Elinor’s quiet internal struggles to life.
As such, it will be a lot of fun to see her play the older version of Margaret Dashwood, who, in the novel, is kind and good-natured, but can be a bit silly and an overly romantic free spirit. She’s enthusiastic and fun-loving, far more outgoing than her oldest sister, so Thompson now gets to play at the other end of the Dashwood sister spectrum.
Becoming Meg Dashwood is available to pre-order at www.audible.co.uk.
- Birthdate
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April 15, 1959
- Birthplace
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London, England, United Kingdom
- Professions
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Actress, Screenwriter, Author, Activist, Comedian
- Height
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5 feet 8 inches
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
