“A captivating contemporary re-telling of Austen’s classic romance with a modern flair”
Jane Austen’s classic romance is re-envisioned in a witty rendition taking the stage of Liverpool’s Playhouse. The story begins at the Bennet house nestled in the sleepy county of Hertfordshire. We are quickly introduced to 5 maids who set the scene and begin narrating our tale. These 5 maids transform from lowly servant girls donned in white to the Bennet family themselves as the actresses switch characters from scene to scene. These 5 actresses take on playing our entire cast, transitioning between their respective characters like a well-oiled machine.
The actress who plays multiple roles including that of the headstrong matriarch Mrs Bennet and the brooding Mr Dacy puts on a convincing act completely embodying the characters and changing her disposition entirely. Mrs Bennet is loud- hooting and hollering at her girls whereas the infamous Darcy is restrained and ruminative. The way the actresses take on playing a whole cast between the 5 of them is astonishing. What I most enjoyed about this set up is the simplicity of the execution; there aren’t entire dramatic wardrobe or makeup changes, a mere overcoat to represent the character of Darcy (worn atop of the actress’s original maid’s dress with her hair still worn up like a maid) sufficed. This really allowed the acting to shine in convincing the audience of who is now being portrayed. This structure added to the comedic value of the play with a strong act from all of the cast shifting their temperament entirely within a matter of moments of appearing in view when playing contrasting characters, delivering the witty banter and quips of the humorous and well written script with commendable comedic timing. Further to this, this modern retelling adds a feminist flavour to the account, not solely through the jokes but having an all women cast which adds an air of empowerment and agency that wasn’t always so prevalent during this time period. Women taking control of their lives is at the centre of this story and the leading ladies of this production exemplify that. This avant-garde recounting of events subverts from the original through casting and scripting amongst other tools, though never to its detriment, always keeping the show engaging for the audience.
Throughout the winding plot as we follow Auten’s timeless story, we are serenaded by the cast as they burst into modern song taking on delights such as You’re So Vain, Holding Out for a Hero and Young Hearts Run Free, as we watch the love story between Darcy and Elizabeth unfold along with the fates of her sisters. As well as the casts’ compelling act, they sing beautifully, voices resonating through the playhouse, making for a captivating performance. The combination of the classic plot of a re-told tale, modern pop-culture references and humour ,and contemporary song and dance mixed together creates a very interesting and entertaining unique spin on a much-loved classic story, making for a must watch whether you are familiar with Austen’s original Pride and Prejudice or not.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) plays until 17th October at the Liverpool Everyman. Tickets are available here.