Being mentally transported back to the time of the Regency era (late 1700s and early 1800s) can feel magical. Everything is different than what you’re used to, and even if you only get to glimpse at how life was back then for a couple of hours, those couple of hours are worth it.

That’s what the cast and crew of Bakersfield College’s school production of Sense and Sensibility did for their audience.

For two and a half hours, audiences were able to forget the stress of midterms and enjoy the world of Jane Austen.

The cast did an excellent job with the mannerisms and language of the era, and made each character likable and relatable.

Dakota Nash and Shelbe McClain stole the show in the roles of Edward Ferrars and Marianne Dashwood, according to audience members.“I walked into this show knowing only a little about it, but I love the character of Marianne,” said first semester student Kylie Black.

“The actress just made her feel so real. It was really heartbreaking and believable when the other guy left. And I loved Edward, he’s so dorky and goofy… I just love it.”

“I came to this show because my girlfriend dragged me, but I actually enjoyed it,” said BC student Carlos Jimenez. “It was not a waste of my time.”

Aside from the occasional stumble over lines, and the time a crew member walked into a piece of a wall during one of the scene changes, the show was well done and well received.During opening night, a couple of students at intermission (who wish to remain anonymous) were talking about whether Marianne should end up with Colonel Brandon or Mr. Willoughby. In the end, both decided that Brandon was the better choice because he “was hopelessly in love with Marianne and would always treat her well,” which is something he spoke of later in the show. They also thought that Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood needed to “hurry up and admit to each other that they’re hopelessly in love with each other so that Edward can leave his fiancé and they’ll live happily ever after.”

In the lobby, they taped up a sheet of paper with questions such as, “If you were a Jane Austen character, who would you be?” and “Are you Team Brandon, or Team Willoughby?” Audience members were given cards so they could write down their answers and then hang them on display for everyone to read.

Bakersfield College’s presentation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” starred Andrea Watson as Elinor Dashwood; Humberto Lopez as Willoughby; Cody Ferguson as Colonel Brandon; Shelbe McClain as Marianne Dashwood; and Dakota Nash as Edward Ferrars.