Rating : Four stars
Jane Austen’s classic novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE tells the story of the Bennett family who live in the town of Longbourn. The time period is the early 19th century. The parents have five daughters, and the hope is that at least one of them can be married off, thereby securing their future. Prospective partners come and go. With her independent spirit Elizabeth seems the least likely to marry. That is until Mr Darcy comes on the scene…
I have been fortunate enough to see a few of them, Most recently, in August last year, I saw Gill Hornby’s adaptation at the Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House with one of Australia’s finest actresses, Nadine Garner, solo on stage, with musical accompaniment by piano and violin.
This was a warm, intimate version of Austen’s classic. The current adaptation at the Old Fitz by American playwright Kate Hamill, well directed by Emma Canalese, takes a very different approach.
Hamill’s adaptation is very rich in humour, irreverent at times, whilst still being faithful to Austen’s themes and characters. There’s gender flexibility in the casting, with males playing some of the female roles and vice versa. True to the novel, the tone is feminist and satirical. The snobbishness of the upper class gets special treatment.
Canalese’s production brings Hamill’s colourful adaptation vibrantly to life. That this production works in such a tiny theatre with minimal stage area is a fine achievement. The staging, within a simple but beautiful, warm set design, sees a set of chairs placed on both sides of the stage for the actors to sit down on during breaks from the action. There were clothing hooks above the chairs for changes in costume, with actors playing multiple roles, and in different settings.
All the performances of the cast of eight – Victoria Abbott, Steve Corner, AJ Evans, Lucy Lock, Mym Kwa, Abbey Morgan, Dylan O’Connor, Idam Sondhi- were good with the characters clearly delineated by the expressive cast. Music played an effective, important part in the production with music direction by Osibi Akerejola and sound design by Mitch Brown, choreography by the director, and lighting design by Julianna Stankiewicz. The period costumes were great.
This is a poignant, fun, well realised production that will have broad appeal.
An Artist Experiment and Dream Plane Plane Productions presentation, the Australian premiere adaptation by Kate Hamill, Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as adapted by Emma Canalese, is playing the Old Fitz theatre until the 8th February 2025.
Production photography by Phil Erbacher
