By Karin Wiberg
On Sunday, October 2, 2022, fifteen members and guests of JASNA-North Carolina attended a matinee of Pride and Prejudice at Raleigh Little Theatre. While an enjoyable outing, I found the production itself a mixed bag. (I can only speak for myself, but I suspect many of the attendees shared at least some of these views.)
Script
The script was by Kate Hamill, who has also done adaptions of Sense and Sensibility, which some of us saw at PlayMakers Repertory a few years ago, Mansfield Park, and Emma. The script was fine, but it did not seem as strong to me as her S&S. However, the changes to the plot and characters (we lost Kitty) did keep the tempo moving. Longer would not have been better.
Casting
With eight members (plus a cameo from one of the backstage crew), the cast was very small, and all but the actors playing Lizzy and Darcy were dual cast:
- Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas
- Mr. Bingley/Mary
- Jane/Anne de Bourgh
- Lydia/Lady Catherine
- Mr. Collins/Wickham
- Mrs. Bennet/Miss Bingley
While the cross-gender casting may have been intended as comical (but perhaps not–it could have been intended as thought-provoking), I quickly forgot about it and enjoyed what the actors brought to their respective parts. However, I have to admit that I was surprised that beyond the gender-swapping, there did not appear to be much (visible) diversity in the cast (cultural, ethnic, disability, etc.).
Acting
Much of the acting was too over the top for my taste, becoming screechy rather than comical and the pitchiness making it difficult to understand the dialogue, especially with Mrs. Bennet. However, three cast members stood out to me: Carl Staub as Mr. Bingley/Mary and Kevin Varner as Charlotte/Mr. Bennet were enjoyable, humorous, and easy to watch. Samantha Kiser as Lydia/Lady Catherine was the standout, bringing the most nuance and skill to the roles. As a young NCSU grad, she’s someone to watch, at least in regional theater.
Costuming
In my opinion, costuming should have a clear aesthetic. This costuming couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. There was no common approach—neither Regency nor modern. It felt like “Oh, go dig in the costume trunk and see if you can find something vaguely reminiscent of Regency—it doesn’t really matter.” While some of the women’s dresses were somewhat Regency-like, Lizzy was wearing culottes! (And her stance was way too modern—weight on one leg, the other out with toe cocked.) Mr. Darcy was in what looked like an overly large felt coat (looked like a cartoon) that was aiming for Regency, but it was paired with modern pants.
Let’s be clear—I’m good with anachronistic, but this was hodge-podge.
The one fun thing about the costuming was that the actors changed in view at the back of the stage. Switching roles between scenes, an actor might take off a jacket and pull on a dress, for instance.
The BEST part
I think it is safe to speak for the group on this point: The best part of the outing was that we got to enjoy Austen with each other in person!