Pride and Prejudice is a classic that’s had to suffer through a lot of remixes. In the past 20-odd years, Jane Austen’s classic novel has been turned into a Renee Zellweger vehicle, a musical, a Bollywood musical and a parallel universe zombie epic.
Despite the options available to them, the Arts Club Theatre Company has resisted gimmicks and instead presented a straightforward stage adaptation of the 1813 novel.
The show follows the upper class Bennet family in their ongoing quest to marry off their five adult daughters. Even without added plot twists, the stakes are high. Without a male heir in the family, the Bennet women will be left with nothing when their father dies unless of course they can find some wealthy fiancés. In this context, a love story isn’t just a love story — it's a matter of livelihood.
Once you understand these economic implications, the show seems like a bit less of a happy-go-lucky romp. Luckily, the cast helps to keep things light. UBC BFA alumna Naomi Wright is well cast as headstrong protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. She's adept at conveying the character's conflicting emotions, demonstrating both deep affection for her family and resigned indignation with the social drama happening around her.
Eric Craig is equally appealing as her romantic interest, Mr. Darcy, tempering the character’s arrogance with an endearing touch of social awkwardness. Craig's Mr. Darcy is also very muscular, which I know because the director generously wedged in a very gratuitous scene in which the actor changes his shirt.
While the leads deliver solid performances, the secondary characters are the ones to watch. In particular, actor Scott Bellis teams up with a very bad wig to deliver a hilarious joint performance as Mr. Collins, Elizabeth’s cousin and would-be suitor. He wrings as much awkwardness as possible out of each moment of blocking — there’s one scene in particular where he tries to kiss Elizabeth's hand and his lips seem to almost detach themselves from his body. As a character, he helps raise the stakes even further — Elizabeth can’t marry him! He’s so gross!
For the more aesthetic side of things, the set design is simple but beautiful, building the show’s pastoral setting through strategic arrangement of Regency-style paintings. Costume designer Christine Reimer has also compiled a number of truly excellent bonnets and one real showstopper of a hat.
Although a stage adaptation of a 19th century romance novel might not be an obvious choice of a night out for hip young people (you know who you are), rest assured that the classic can still throw down some timeless romantic advice. At one point, Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte, offered a classic line from the novel:
“It is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”
“Too true!” muttered the elderly woman seated to my left. She would probably know.