Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) 🪩

#PRInvite #Gifted | You didn't realise this could be your story, but I guarantee you will see every person you have ever met reflected in some of the characters in Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) this week at His Majesty's Theatre. This is your chance to see a classic and well loved story with a twist.

Star rating: ★★★★

Every day, they are writing the book, as ‘Pride and Prejudice (sort of)’, embarks on its second U.K. tour - arriving in Aberdeen this week. The show, penned by Isobel McArthur, takes after the Jane Austen classic of a similar name, refreshing the novel of manners with a riot-reinterpretation - because, “after all, we have been doing this since 1776.” This new play, first conceived in Scotland before transferring to London, was initially developed to tour at His Majesty’s Theatre in 2023, marking its first indoor venue since its West End stint. The show’s creative team announced recently that their plans for off-Broadway later this year have been scrapped - an obvious political statement - yet, it is good to see the show planning productions further afield. This week, she’s the novel’s direct competition, conveniently being staged at the same time as the film’s 20th anniversary. Does it work, though? Sort of.

The original story of Pride and Prejudice revolves around the idea of marriage, morality and misconceptions as the Bennet family try to find suitors. Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters - all of whom are not eligible to receive any form of inheritance if Mr Bennet passes away due to the restrictions for women in the time period. This sense of urgency to save the family finances and home means that the daughters, Lizzy in particular, must overcome her pride and initial prejudices to find love.

The premise of this version, however, follows the servants recounting their observations of the classic story - opening the show with the lesson that ‘servants are integral to love stories’. The cast is made up of five women who are multi-rolling between their role as attendants and domestic workers - and their interpretation of the traditional Austen characters - and in this version, they are a hoot! This is a play with songs too, with the story being complimented by karaoke tracks, blending historical and classic English literature with modern cultural references which can be a lot of fun. I always feel that texts like these are intentionally holding a mirror up to today’s day and age - acting as a self-examination of how the beauty of traditional language has completely broken down - and the show does not hide away from any sort of colourful language throughout. 

McArthur, the show’s writer, says that the best thing about the show is that each of the servants has been given a name and a background, instead of being homogenised. This is the first sign that ‘Pride and Prejudice (sort of) acts as a reclamation of history: they claim their agency back, and finally gain the respect they deserve for running the households of the upper class in the modern age.

The show does assume that audience members are familiar with the source material - for which I admittedly am the problem here. Slightly (... very) embarrassing for an English teacher to admit: I have never read the 1813 novel, nor have I seen the film. This is unlike other examples of traditional literature brought forward for the modern age, which may provide lots of additional contextual padding. This means that a lot of references flew over my head, and this was particularly the case in Act 2 where the tone of the piece changed. 

You prefer books to games? You can have both with this production, though, even without knowing much about it - I have still laughed out loud both times I’ve seen it. If the truth be universally acknowledged: Pride and Prejudice (sort of) is a lot of fun. From traditional staples of British culture, to the new, everything is included in this re-imagining - including Irn Bru, a Vienetta, Wagon Wheels and a Pringles tube that had me in stitches for a few minutes.

Isobel McArthur steers the show as Director and playwright, and as the show says: ‘she’s a crafty cow’. ‘Pride and Prejudice (sort of)’ is a cracker, when it bursts open, it continues to surprise. Whether that is due to its outrageous humour, satirical wit, references to modern culture or skillfully used props - even the audience members going in blind will find something to chuckle at. It doesn’t go without innuendo, or allusions towards the ‘pre refrigeration age’. A special shout-out to the horse, Willy.

The show is not only rich because of its humour, clever staging or origin story; but because of all the subtle nods to Jane Austen’s life throughout the show. There are some blink and you’ll miss it moments, alongside some hidden easter eggs which only make sense if you already know, or due to further research. In a moment of reclamation for Austen, the show ‘bins’ the novels of Sir Walter Scott who took president of the printing press during the time of Austen's writing, meaning that her work was overshadowed unfortunately until after she had already passed.

The set and costumes are designed by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita and these are really effective. Whilst the set is static, the costumes are anything but. The five principals are not only the masters of the house; but masters of a quick change - leaning themselves into the comedy of the play with each new costume and character - even dawning yellow marigolds in replacement of satin gloves.

In conversation with the company manager prior to the show, I discovered that the book had been edited since the last time I saw it. To be honest, this was already an assumption considering Aberdeen Performing Arts was the show’s first indoor venue on its first U.K. tour. Whilst I didn’t notice this at first, I believe some elements of Act 2 have been restructured and this latter part of the show didn’t captivate my attention in the same way the first did. 

Whilst the songs included in the show are good too, supervised by Michael John McCarthy, sometimes they feel disjointed or strange and occasionally end with abrupt cutoffs. Though some of the song choices are a bit odd, they are definitely welcomed for some fun - and I suppose, who really picks a good song every time at a karaoke night?

The servants are phenomenal, taking the essence of the show in their stride. The fantastic five are made up of Eleanor Kane, Rhianna McGreevy, Naomi Preston Low, Christine Steel, Susie Barrett - and most notably, Emma Rose Creaner. All come with pleasant vocals and an attitude to give it welly, these five are undoubtedly one of the hardest working touring casts just now, keeping the audience engaged and roaring with laughter from start to finish. Jos Houben takes care of the comedy staging, with the funny fight sequences directed by Claire Llewellyn. 

‘Pride and Prejudice (sort of)’ is a colourful, punchy and far from eloquent take on the Austen novels, and it is the best way of revitalising the story for a modern audience. It also provided one of the best quotes I’ve heard on stage: “You know what I can’t stand? People.”

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @prideandprejudicesortof

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts