REVIEWED: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a play in possession of accomplished actors must be in want of an equally merit script. If only one were to be found in Castle Theatre Company’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Unfortunately, this script was slightly lifeless. It was only when using Austen’s original lines that the play seemed to crackle with the real Bennet energy and shine momentarily. Otherwise, it neatly plodded along, making the audience quite aware of the three hours that were slowly passing.

But if you’re going to spend three hours anywhere, it might as well be in the great hall. The strong wood panelling coupled with the delicate string quartet in the corner formed the perfect backdrop for an Austen play. Combined with the period costumes, it was quite comfortable to imagine the adventures of a lady at the turn of the 19th century. The entire appearance of the play was without reproach. The hair and makeup, the dress and the scene: all were beautifully harmonized. However, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is a tale that transcends all of these superficial trappings. It is a tale whose primary concern is the intimate (often sardonic) character study of those people crossed in love and greed and everything in between.

Because of this, it relies on the actors and their performance to accurately portray the ever-changing dynamic of the relationships between characters as well as Austen’s astute societal observations. 
Saying this, Mrs.Bennet is the first I must comment on. Ellie Gauge did a wonderful job wailing around like the agitated bundle of ‘nerves’ that Mrs.Bennet is. Almost too good a job. By the second half, her ear-splitting exclamations were like fingernails on a slate chalkboard, sending shivers down the spine. While it was great to see someone play Mrs. Bennet with so much abandon, her shrill gaiety was constant and over the top. Mr. Bennet, also, was over the top in his irritation. His shoulders constantly up around his ears, the same ears that might as well have steam pouring out of them, Hugh Train, while managing to portray the dissatisfaction Mr.Bennet has toward his domestic life, seems to lose the full dimension of the character’s concern for just those people who annoy him. Though Mr. Bennet wishes for a more sensible, and probably a generally more knowledgeable wife, he regards her with a felicitous, albeit condescending, concern. This production of Pride and Prejudice seemed to simply enhance and focus on Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s meaner attributes. While Austen does make a mockery of these two on the page, she balances this with softer moments and allows the characters to breathe around the burden of stupidity in order to show they mean well. Somehow this message was lost in their violent interpretation of the two insipid parents.

While we’re on the subject of insipid, Phillipa Mosley was wonderful at playing the ridiculous sister, Miss Lydia Bennet. In fact, all of the sisters were quite suitably accounted for. Excepting Mary, of course. The play took a rather cruel stance on her, using her as the butt of a continuous joke and only recognizing her presence in the last scene. Even Austen wasn’t so cruel to the least favoured Bennet sister. The most favoured Bennet sister, on the other hand, was an absolute vision. She looked and even sounded like Rosamund Pike in her delivery. She was beautiful and graceful, and balanced just right Jane’s always cheerfully content personality with the sharp stings of hardship that come to test it.

Lizzie was less perfectly portrayed. Though good at playing off the casual witty asides of her character, Heather Cave seemed less prepared for the more passionate scenes of admonition towards Mr.Darcy. In fact, most scenes that called for a forceful monologue saw her voice somehow sliding up the scale into shrill affected tones. However, when she sang, the same scale was beautifully under her control. Having Elizabeth sing was a pleasing surprise, and congratulations are definitely in order for Cave’s impressive renditions. 
Adam Phillips, bearing a striking resemblance to Scott Cohen, played a decent Darcy. He was wonderful at showing the change in character from the awkward, stiff and impolite Darcy to the comfortable and pleasant man he is able to show Elizabeth at Pemberley. Yet I’m still trying to decide whether Mr. Darcy would have smirked quite so often. Either way, he played excellently his focus on Elizabeth, and the blocking of the characters in having the rest of the stage pause to focus in on a conversation one at a time, or having two conversations go on at once, ingeniously highlighted this.

Lady Catherine De Bourg, played by Georgina Franklin, was one such conversation interrupter. She was absolutely spot on at playing the impudent and haughty Lady Catherine. Her contempt was almost breathable in the way she pulled off her gloves and ruthlessly tried to put Elizabeth Bennet in her place. The interpretation of Mr.Collins was a tad more liberal. Made out to be a buffoon of epic proportions, he was used mercilessly at every turn for the sake of a subpar joke. Nick Mcqueen decided to embrace this, putting on an absurd accent and cocking up simple phrases as if he were a Blackadder character.

All in all, despite a few disagreeable quirks, and its sheer length, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ was a remarkable show and all those who worked on it should be proud.

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