Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) @ Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
The fun and flamboyant Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) rejuvenates the Jane Austen classic
Sometimes a love story needs a little helping hand to push it in the right direction. A note delivered just at the right time here, a suitor encouraged to walk there, an insufferable cretin pulled out of the way here.
In Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Jane Austen’s 1813 classic is given just that in this fun and flamboyant production written, co-directed by and starring the talented Isobel McArthur. Rejuvenating the well-trodden text, McArthur places the unnamed servants, who normally scurry along unnoticed in the background and among the footnotes, at the heart of the production and injects the story with a modern musical karaoke twist.
Directed by McArthur and Simon Harvey, this energetic production – starring an all-female cast in Tori Burgess, Christina Gordon, Hannah Jarrett-Scott, Isobel McArthur and Leah Jamieson – is immersive, funny and shrewd.
Against the backdrop of a perhaps overly simple set – a grand winding staircase takes centre stage throughout the production – flourishes of falling petals and clever use of lighting from Colin Grenfell transports us from the Bennet home (where Mrs Bennet is hell-bent on marrying at least one of her daughters to someone... anyone, frankly), to stately homes in London and the Lake District, to local balls (where Wagon Wheels, Ferrero Rocher and – stop the bus – Viennetta, are the fancy finger foods of choice).
Weaving classic hits like You’re So Vain, Young Hearts Run Free and Will You Love Me Tomorrow into the tale not only packs a modern punch into the story, but adds moments of emotional poignancy in between the comedic bouquet of eyebrow raising, jostling, and dramatic swooning.
The story of the Bennet sisters has never been so fun and feisty. Move over Colin Firth with your soggy shirt, there’s a new production in town. And Mr Darcy, played with epic character by McArthur, has never been so brooding, or so brilliant.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 5 Nov, tickets from £15