Theatre Review: Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)

As someone for whom Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen has now become a favourite comfort read (an unusual one, I grant you. What can I say? I study English literature), I was full of excitement leading up to the opening night of Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Written by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen, this play is comical revamp of this beloved novel. The premise: five servants in the Bennet household re-enact the story of Pride and Prejudice, taking on various roles between them as they retell Austen’s famous story in a highly comical fashion. Having had huge success in the West End, there was certainly a lot of anticipation leading up to this production’s Birmingham debut.

Quick costume changes are managed very effectively in this production…

The ‘sort of’ in the title of this play is very important; if you are looking for a faithful adaptation of Austen’s novel, this is not it. Instead, McArthur’s script delights in revamping the book in a brand new style. The play starts before it really begins – while the audience members take their seats, bells ring to alert the servants, and the servants themselves act out some cleaning of the set and even audience seats! Elements of the original novel necessarily have to be cut, so the plot is stripped down to the bare minimum. You do not need to have read Pride and Prejudice (or even seen other adaptations) to understand and enjoy Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), but there are plenty of Easter eggs for those who have – quotations from the book feature in the play, and there is an even a cheeky reference to the famous lake scene of the 1995 BBC adaptation.

Quick costume changes are managed very effectively in this production by using mostly single garments that can be quickly placed over the base servant dresses to differentiate characters – for example, signature jackets for Darcy (Dannie Harris) and Bingley (Lucy Gray), a blue dress for Jane (Megan Louise Wilson), and a grey dress for Charlotte (Gray). There is plenty of doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling of parts in this production for the actresses (indeed, Leah Jamieson actually plays five parts in this production, including a hilarious, hyperbolic performance of the tedious Mr Collins). However, one never has any difficulty in telling who’s who thanks to the fantastic performances of the cast and the distinctive costumes crafted for the characters. Emmy Stonelake performs the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, in an unexpected but spirited reimagining of the character.

Song and dance numbers enhance the fun of the production…

Song and dance numbers enhance the fun of the production, and all the cast deliver strong vocal performances. Musical instruments and props are also very cleverly employed for comic effect – for example, two servants attempt to support Darcy’s first disastrous proposal by playing piano and guitar, while Mr Bennet is a silent character in this play represented by an armchair and a newspaper, a prop brought on and off by his frustrated family.

Overall, this is a fantastic production, well-deserving of its Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. If you are up for a laugh and are prepared to see a complete revamp of Jane Austen’s classic text, this is a must-see show.