Review: Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Review: Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Alison Carr takes in an evening with the Bennet sisters. In a manner of speaking.
Full disclosure, I have never read Pride and Prejudice. Nor have I seen any television or film adaptations. I know the basics, but otherwise I went into Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of) pretty blind. As such, I was worried that I might not get this reimagining of Jane Austen’s beloved story.
I needn’t have worried, however, because even an Austen ignoramus like me can’t fail to have a good time at this funny, sweary, irreverent retelling.
Having begun its life at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre in 2018, Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of) is back in Newcastle on its third UK tour via a stint in the West End and an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
What is notable this time, however, is that this is a Newcastle Theatre Royal co-production (in association with David Pugh and Cunard). Its first in over a decade. And as part of that, an audition call went out for North East actors – leading to Susie Barrett and Isobel Donkin being part of the company.
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All of the cast are all hilarious, and play a multitude of characters who they spring in and out of at breakneck speed. And when they’re not pulling on a new costume, they’re playing a musical instrument or singing.
Who knew You’re So Vain was written about Mr Darcy? Makes sense, though.
Barrett was clearly having fun as irrepressible Lydia Bennett and dull Mr Collins, plus a finale standout moment when Mary Bennett finally got her hands on the karaoke machine.
Naomi Preston Low got to be a sarky, stubborn Elizabeth Bennett throughout, while Rhianna McGreevy masterfully straddled two ends of the spectrum as shrill Mrs Bennett and aloof, brooding Mr Darcy.
Christine Steel’s sweet Jane Bennett and dastardly Wickham were outdone by her Lady Catherine de Bourgh, appearing out of the darkness like a horror movie jump scare.
And the standout for me was Emma Rose Creaner. Whether she was being Charles Bingley or his vain, snobbish sister Caroline, lovelorn Charlotte Lucas, or moving some furniture in the background, Creaner was always funny and endlessly watchable.
I’m not entirely on board with the framing device of the women being marigold-glove wearing household servants who are going to tell us this story, but as soon as we meet Mrs B and her brood of unmarried daughters, then its pedal to the metal and the laughs don’t let up.
For all its silliness, though, the play has a heart at its centre for both the story and characters, and it never comes across as a brash, thoughtless parody.
The endless creativity, big and small, means our attention is always captured - from the laughs wrung out of a chair and newspaper, to the ‘Aust-bin’ which takes glass, plastic and the novels of Sir Walter Scott.
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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that laughing for two hours does anyone the world of good. So if you fancy a boisterous and energetic comedy that showcases an incredibly talented and hard working ensemble, then this is the play for you. Whether you’ve read the source material or not.
Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) is at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday (September 28). For tickets, visit the website or call the box office on 0191 232 7010.