It's the 250th Birthday of English novelist Jane Austen [1775-1817], and her avid fans -- "The Janeites" -- are celebrating worldwide; so what better way for River Region fans to celebrate than with the Cloverdale Playhouse's seasonal offering, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, co-authored by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.
Billed as an imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice, this witty comedy is sure to please by anticipating audience reactions and approvals through clever nods to the original source that many of us know from reading the novel or watching an assortment of filmed versions.
The play takes place some time after the events of Pride and Prejudice in Mr. Darcy's [John Selden] ancestral home, where he and wife Elizabeth (Bennet) [Bethany Warman] are hosting family during the Christmas holidays, and where much fuss is made of Lizzie bringing a "Christmas tree" indoors.
Lizzie's now pregnant sister Jane [Hilary Taylor] is there with her husband Mr. Bingley [Jalan Pedonesi]. Bookish sister Mary Bennet [Sydney Hermans] has joined them and entertains herself with reading and playing the piano. Unhappily married Lydia [Jacqueline Ishmael] irritatingly insists that her marriage to husband Mr. Wickham is ideal, though she fools no-one.
So, when socially awkward Arthur DeBourgh [Ethan Montgomery] arrives and meets Mary, Austen's opening line of Pride and Prejudice -- "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- suggests that there ought to be another romantic match between these two misfits.
Arthur's entitled cousin Anne DeBourgh [Katelyn Sides] insists that her arranged marriage to Arthur be settled immediately, and Lydia's interference between Arthur and Mary complicates matters; and Gunderson and Melcon's script keeps everyone guessing till the end. -- There is a good balance of scenes that demonstrate men's views and women's views, each argument worthy of our attention.
And though we never see the Bennet parents and sister Kitty, or Mr. Wickham, or Mr. Collins, their presence is felt at key points in the action.
Mary is central to the plot, and the spokesperson for Austen's feminist agenda that posits equality of the sexes, women's individualism, and the possibilities of their advancement through their own choices even within a paternalistic society. -- Ms. Hermans and Mr. Montgomery show us clearly that even the least witty individuals are worthy of finding happiness and romantic love. We're definitely on their side.
Scenic designer J. Scott Grinstead's grand interior of Pemberley is a presence in itself, establishing a Regency assurance with a comfort that invites us all in. -- Katie Pearson's period-looking costumes complete the tone of a luxurious past.
The strength of family is never in question here, and director Sarah Kay's able ensemble cast provide an excellent reminder that the love we share for one another is the greatest gift at Christmas.
