Theatre Royal Bath, 14-19 April 2025
Words by Isabelle Blakeney
I have a confession to make. I’ve never read a Jane Austen novel. I’ve tried Mansfield Park, I gave Emma my best shot, but I just didn’t think the Regency era was for me.
So it was only when this particular adaptation was described to me as ‘definitely NOT another Jane Austen pastiche’ that my interest piqued. Self-satirising and set to the sounds of Candi Staton and Spandau Ballet? Now that sounds more like it!
Sweary, rowdy, theatrical, full of cheap gags (the good kind!) and exaggerated costumes – Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is an Austen adaptation that’s all about fun and never once approaches the realm of ‘taking itself seriously’.
Despite the iconic title’s bracketed downgrade and the un-Regency aesthetics contained within it, Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is (I’m told) actually a fairly faithful version of the novel. Be prepared, however, for a story played out by five rambunctious ‘below stairs’ staff members who switch between characters and costumes with an electric energy and an amalgamation of regional accents that creates a polyphony of fun chaotic, ensemble dynamics.
Each actor switches between multiple roles: Emma Rose Creaner takes on the fourth-wall breaking role of the primary narrator at the beginning, her thick Irish accent peppered with eye-rolls and swear words, before donning tails as the caricaturesque Bingleys (she plays both siblings, nodded to in the lines ‘I can’t believe how different they are!’ and ‘I know – they look nothing alike!), as well as the quieter friend of Lizzie Bennet, Charlotte Lucas.
Rhiannna McGreevy similarly goes seamlessly between the bawdy, profanity-shouting, wine-swigging Mrs Bennet and the stoic, irritatingly silent Mr Darcy, while Naomi Preston Low’s Elizabeth Bennet manages to capture the rebellious nature of Austen’s heroine, albeit in a predictably fun-pokey way.
Christine Steel and Susie Barrett play Jane Bennet, George Wickham and Lady Catherine de Burgh, and Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Mr Collins and Mrs Gardiner respectively, providing impeccable comedic timing (think ‘old woman in ridiculously over-the-top apparel and cane getting her groove on to Lady in Red), and constant joyful silliness.
Somehow in the midst of all of this, the storyline carries itself through, and the tender romance of Lizzie and Mr Darcy feels entirely believable, even (and I use this word very lightly) a little emotional.
The stripped back sets and simple costumes (one for each character, worn over the ‘staff’ dresses so they were clearly visible) really allowed space for the actors to shine without the play becoming overbearing, and where the script’s pacing dropped slightly at times, it was lifted right back up by the cast’s endless energy. Whether you’re a die-hard Austen fan or a first-timer like me, Pride & Prejudice (*sort of) promises an evening of guaranteed laughs and really good fun.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is at Theatre Royal Bath until 19 April. theatreroyal.org.uk
