Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – York Theatre Royal

Writer/Director: Isobel McArthur

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) has been wowing audiences since its sensational entrance onto the UK stage in Glasgow in 2017, and with good reason. This is a show that is beautifully written, cleverly staged and incredibly imaginative. This particular all-female quintet are breathtakingly funny and almost flawless in their performances throughout this glorious play/musical.

While this is definitely Austen’s narrative and characters, it is the servants who are telling the story in this production, becoming each of the parts with an overcoat here, a dress there, or in one instance a cassock and cardi! The use of the servants allows for a playfulness, a change in the language from stiff and formal to much more modern and bawdy while maintaining a general sense of what Austen does best, poking fun at the ridiculousness of people.

The cast of five alternate, and it was a privilege to see Susie Barrett, Emma Rose Creaner, Rhianna McGreevy, Christine Steel and Naomi Preston Low in action. Steel swaps beautifully between playing entirely likeable Jane Bennett and much less likeable George Wickham, as well as Lady Catherine De Bourgh (who is, in this version, related to crooner Chris De Burgh), working brilliantly alongside Creaner, who is an excellent and hilarious Mr Bingley. Creaner also somehow manages to play Caroline Bingley, Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte and a range of instruments as a servant. Full of energy and always with a twinkle in her eye, she zips and bustles about the stage making every scene a joy to watch.

McGreevy meanwhile plays the straight-laced, straight-faced, dashing Mr Darcy with a self-possession that Colin Firth himself would be jealous of. This is in sharp contrast to the other character she ably portrays, the fantastically dramatic Mrs Bennett, whose hypochondria and tendency to expect the worst of everything feels a little like a cross between the evil stepmother from Cinderella and Ma Larkin from The Darling Buds of May. What a combination.

Barrett is fabulous as flighty younger sisters Mary and Lydia, both with their own unique characters and mannerisms but she is also versatile enough to play the slightly creepy dullard Mr Collins to excellent effect.

Finally, Preston Low as feisty Elizabeth Bennett is a joy to watch, conveying a tough exterior and inner warmth and excellent comic timing, along with the required Georgian ability to say so much in so few words and a pointed look.

Smiling, laughing, cheering, clapping, all are expected from the audience and come easily, such is the infectious fun and energy of this production. Writer/Director Isobel McArthur and Set and Costume Designer Ana Ines Jabares-Pita should be commended for the outstanding staging, interplay and use of props throughout. Mr Bennett, a full size horse and a mound of Wagon Wheel biscuits are just some of the ingenious props that spring to mind and made the audience laugh out loud.

The tiniest let down on occasion was the sound. This is the case that (and a little too often at this particular theatre), despite sound checks surely having happened there were initial sound difficulties, there are five hand-held mics used for songs, and we lost almost all of Creaner’s contribution to the first song, and given that she was the main singer in this number, didn’t introduce the show as effectively as it could have. Sometimes the actors voices sounded unbalanced when they all sang together.

Nevertheless, this is an incredible show with cleverly placed pop songs, that should attract Austenites and newbies alike with its nods to modernity (Vienetta, Tesco and others), clear narrative and recognition of the versions (BBC in particular) of Pride and Prejudice that have gone before.

Runs until 9th November 2024