Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) at His Majesty's Theatre is a brilliant and hilarious adaptation of Jane Austen's classic romance. Image - Mihaela Bodlovic
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an ensemble cast in possession of a good show, must be in want of an audience* (*apologies to Jane Austen).
And in the case of Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) it’s not so much a good show as an utterly brilliant one that had the audience at His Majesty’s Theatre swooning – and laughing and cheering – over this superb take on this iconic love story.
Pride & Prejudice has been re-interpreted in many ways on stage, film and television – cue images of Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy emerging dripping wet from a lake – but never quite like this.
A five-strong, all-female ensemble cast retell Austen’s novel as a knockabout romp, full of laugh-out-loud moments, a raft of pop classics and spellbinding stagecraft.
All of this is done with real reverence for Pride & Prejudice mixed in with grin-making irreverence – been a while since I read Jane Austen, but I’m pretty sure the F-bomb wasn’t in her lexicon.
But that piece of Anglo-Saxon is deployed here to brilliant and appropriate effect that proves swearing can be big and can be clever.
The brilliant cast in action at HMT. Image - Mihaela Bodlovic
The utter genius of the show comes with each of the five actors taking on multiple characters (16 in total) from the novel with sublime ease and quick costume changes.
So kudos goes to Emma Rose Creaner, Eleanor Kane, Rhianna McGreevy, Naomi Preston Low and Christine Steel who absolutely deserved every clap, cheer, laugh and especially that spontaneous standing ovation at the finale.
It is almost miraculous to watch Rhianna switch from the noisy and foolish Mrs Bennet into the aloof and haughty Mr Darcy in the blink of an eye simply by putting on an overcoat and changing her expression.
And once in character, each actor inhabits the role so totally you forget that a second ago they were someone else entirely.
The music that intersperses the action is a hoot – teed up by the arrival of a mic in a variety of means, from served on a silver platter to hidden in a Pringles tube.
And the cast give it laldy in a range of instantly recognisable hits from You’re So Vain to Young Hearts Run Free.
Pop classics drive along the story of Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of). Image - Mihaela Bodlovic
The witty and clever script is fast and furious, mixing Austen’s words with modern references – yes, a dripping wet Colin Firth gets a nod - while gleefully breaking the fourth wall at times.
Visual gags abound, too. A standout moment is a so-fast-you-almost-miss-it transformation of a servant into a portrait of Mr Darcy. Now that’s clever.
All of this while never straying from the heart and soul of Pride & Prejudice, reinforcing its place as a timeless romance – one with a claim to being the original romcom.
And Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) can put claim to being one of the finest adaptations of Austen’s work while being an unforgettable night out at the theatre.