Little Lark of London

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a fan of the works of Jane Austen, must be in want of a new adaptation. Since its first publication in 1813 there have been hundreds – if not thousands – of adaptations of Pride & Prejudice. From the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies film to the Lizzie Bennet Diaries web series, fans have found new ways to take the story that Austen has created and present it in a new way to audiences. Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is one of these many adaptations with an interesting twist – what if the story was told by the servants?

Written and directed by Isobel McArthur, Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) has five female servants take on the iconic roles of the Bennets, the Bingleys, Darcy and others as they reenact the story of how Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy fall in love. Costume designer Ana Inés Jabares-Pita (who also designed the set) does a fantastic job of creating signature looks for each of the characters with only a few pieces of identifiable clothing, like a fancy coat for Darcy and a green dress for Elizabeth. The show was originally written and performed in Glasgow and there are still several references to its Scottish roots, including refreshments of Irn-Bru and Wagon Wheels being served at the Meryton Assembly ball and a sly joke about Sir Walter Scott on a trash bin. 

Naomi Preston Low takes on the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of the tale who seems to dislike everyone except for her sister, the sweet and timid Jane (Christine Steel). Low does a great job of portraying Elizabeth’s wit, especially when it comes to verbally sparring with Darcy (Rhianna McGreevy), but the script makes the character a bit more unlikeable than she is in the original work, making it tough to root for her happy ending – especially with the way she treats her “friend,” Charlotte Lucas (Emma Rose Creaner). 

Some highlights of the show are when we get to see the performers switch from one character to another – especially Steel, who goes from the sweet Jane to the dastardly Wickham and the over-the-top Lady Catherine de Bourgh with ease. Creaner alternates between the Bingley siblings, playing both Bingley and Caroline as people in love, though they certainly have different ways of showing it. While she has some smaller roles than the others, Eleanor Kane is delightful as siblings Lydia and Mary, the two overlooked Bennet sisters, and makes Mr Collins into a truly horrifying man. The standout of the show for me, however, is McGreevy as both Mrs Bennet and Darcy, two characters who could not be more different. Were it not for the easily recognisable bright red hair, I may have believed that they were two different performers!

The show’s strongest moments are when it is able to balance the serious and the sombre, sometimes within the same scene. A particularly great bit comes from when characters are reading letters to one another, particularly in what is usually the more serious moment of Darcy revealing the truth about Wickham to Elizabeth. The funny moment eases the tension that has been built up between the two in a fresh and unexpected way. 

All of the performers do a great job with not only the choreography (Emily Jane Boyle) but also the physical comedy, which has been staged by Jos Houben. 

While the songs that are in the show are quite amusing (Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” is perfect for expressing Elizabeth’s feelings towards Darcy), with a runtime of over two hours I would have expected a few more musical numbers, as they feel quite few and far between, especially in the second act. I would have also liked to see a bit more of the actual lives of the servants in comparison to the roles they are playing in the play-within-a-play. The pre-show focuses on the five women who are the servants of a household, armed with Marigold gloves and cleaning the theatre. They then go on to introduce themselves and reveal all that they do behind the scenes to ensure that the main characters get their happily ever after, lamenting the fact that there is no real ending for their own stories. It’s truly a fascinating concept but is barely even mentioned after the opening scene, save for a sweet moment at the end. Having some more references to the actual servants playing the characters would have been welcome to carry the message of the show a bit more clearly. 

Ultimately, Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is a hilarious yet surprisingly powerful adaptation of the classic Austen work, allowing those whose voices were silenced during the Regency era to have a voice in this world that mixes carriages and karaoke. Whether you’re a fan of Jane Austen or not, you’re certainly going to be a fan of this show!

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) runs from 24 February to 1 March at the Richmond Theatre and continues to tour the UK until June. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.