Review by Dan Sinclair
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As I take my seat, open up the programme and read the note from the director, I am immediately called out as one of the people who only know Pride and Prejudice for the shot of Colin Firth soaking wet in a flappy white shirt. And even then, I saw it parodied by Firth in St Trinians long before knowing the original reference. So upon going to watch a full stage adaptation of Austen’s novel, I was nervous. But I needn’t be.
Adapted and Directed by Abigail Pickard Price, the Guildford Shakespeare Company's production of Pride and Prejudice glides into the Jermyn Street Theatre with bucketloads of airs and graces - and a handful of stiff upper lips. With an ever-multirolling cast of three, this cheeky adaptation lovingly stages the classic English romance. Funny, well-staged and genuinely sweet. - it’s not going to change the world, but it’s quite nice getting to spend two hours in a Jane Austen novel. The well-respected Mr and Mrs Bennet live in the Hertfordshire Countryside with their five daughters: Jane, Lizzie, Lydia, Kitty and Mary, with Mrs Bennet particularly eager to see them marry well. Right on cue comes Mr Bingley, a wealthy new bachelor who is accompanied by his close friend Mr Darcy. Jane, the eldest catches the eye of Mr Bingley, whilst Mr Darcy shows his disdain for everyone and everything, apart from possibly Miss Lizzie Bennet... It’s classic Austen: there are grand balls, unexpected callings, dashing young soldiers, piano lessons fraught with sexual tension, incestuous cousins, proposals, heartbreaks, scandals and true love. Will Lizzie and Mr Darcy ever get their happy ending? Of course they do, it’s a love story, but it’s still quite a lot of fun getting there.
Going in, I was sceptical about how successful a 3 strong cast could pull off 13 roles that aren’t entirely indistinguishable from the other - once you’ve heard one aristocrat you’ve heard them all. I was wrong. The cast is the highlight of this show. Playing the central Lizzie Bennet and Mr Bingley, April Hughes is utterly delightful. She acts as the audience's way into the story, occasionally acting as a narrator. She gives plenty of bite to Lizzie, functioning as a puckish opposite to Luke Barton’s uptight Mr Darcy. Barton covers all the remaining male roles (and a very Oscar Wilde-y turn as Lady Catherine De Burgh, I almost wanted to give him a handbag). He swaggers around the stage wonderfully, he is the stereotypical Austen lover. And I only mean that positively, the production does not attempt to add any interpretation to the story or have an angle so to speak, it simply wants to tell the classic story of enemies to lovers with all the silly voices and hats that you would expect - and that’s fine. I did sometimes want to see Barton push his different characters a bit further, as he did slightly fall victim to the homogenous aristocratic man, without costume changes it could’ve been easily confused at times. Sarah Gobran, however, excels with her characterisation as all of the remaining female roles. With movement direction from Amy Lawrence, she creates a number of distinctly different characters both vocally and physically.
Pickard Price’s direction keeps the story moving along at a nice pace, plus there is never a single moment where you realise ‘Oh, this is a tricky costume change’. It seamlessly flows at all times. There are some delightfully cheeky moments of staging, I think now of the use of picture frames, large dining tables created with tightly held cloths, a piano conjured from thin air. This was especially felt in the second half where it started to have a lot more fun with the story, the first half felt a bit uptight in comparison whilst the second act seemed to put its foot down on the camp comedy accelerator.
If you’re an Austen fan, then this is one for you. It’s a loving homage to the original novel that warmly welcomes you into the Longbourn Estate. And if you’re like me and your main knowledge of Austen is Paul Rudd in Clueless, then it’s still a charming night at the theatre.
Pride and Prejudice is showing at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 7th September.
Tickets can be found here: https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/pride-prejudice/
Photos by Mark Dean
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