Pride and Prejudice Play Review Prologue

Pride and Prejudice

by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen; directed by Birgitta Victorson

I had the pleasure of seeing this play performed at a local theater this fall. I attended a pre-show prologue about the show, hosted by the actress who portrays Jane Bennet and Anne de Bourgh. 

This show is a loose adaptation by Kate Hamill. It is a show by women, about women and (mostly) performed by women in order to create more roles for women in the theater. It is also an attempt to reclaim the classics for everyone.

The director of this production, Birgitta Victorson, is also a choreographer, educator and deviser so there is quite a lot of movement in this production. The cast rehearsed by playing childhood games, like balls. (Balls is used a lot in the show in more than one meaning). Some made it into the show and others did not. One that did is "over, under, around and through" and it was fun to catch the games in the show. The director also says "This is not your mother's Pride and Prejudice" and brought a lot of her own past to the show. There's a feeling of first love, that Junior High dance waiting to be picked. This is devised theater, it allows for many points-of-view, making the story their own. 

The cast was encouraged to bring in songs that were meaningful to them (contemporary 20th-century music) and some were worked into the show. 

Some words stressed are "affection," "perfection," "appropriate," "pride" and "prejudice". 

Some questions to think about:
What does it mean to cast characters of different genders than what you imagine them to be?
How does the society feel contemporary? different? Hint: They move differently. There are many dances in 1813 with arms over their heads. When the costumes didn't allow for that, they had to add more fabric under the arms to extend their reach.

Who gets what they deserve?
Who is happy with what they thought they wanted?

Before I begin my review, I will note this review contains spoilers so move on to the next post if you want to know or stop here if you don't want to know. If you're a die-hard literary snob, don't see this production!!! If you've only seen the "Keira Knightley" movie version or read a Wiki summary or Gif review online, give it a try but know that this isn't Jane Austen. It's a funny romp with some social commentary! The second act departs a lot from the original story. Read on for the full spoilerish review!