Hello everyone! As I mentioned last month, I went to Nashville to visit my daughter and see yet another stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I arrived on February 14th and my husband had arranged for flowers and ice cream cake to be waiting for me.
It was a wonderful extended weekend. We went to see Major, a contemporary dance theater performance, at OZ Arts Nashville that evening. The performance was powerful and the venue was fascinating. And on Sunday it was time for P&P.
This version was written by Janet Munsil and performed by Springhouse Theatre Company. I had previously read the first five scenes and noted that it is a fast-paced play. That said, when we actually sat down to watch it, I did not feel like I was running at full speed through the novel. The opening scenes in Hertfordshire did move swiftly, but all the pertinent information was relayed. It did feel a bit unbalanced as the first act ended after the Hunsford proposal, so the second act was much shorter.
Unlike the Kate Hamill version I have seen in the past, this is not a comedy. It is a retelling of the original, abridged as is necessary for it to fit the time restrictions of theater. There were no Hursts and no Colonel Fitzwilliam, but there was an ensemble that was well used. Lady Catherine and Lady Anne de Bourgh (I cringed every time I heard it) were their normal selves with Lady C being demanding and Anne sneezing (no lines) and stuffing her fingers in her ears so she didn’t have to listen to her mother.
Elizabeth (pictured on stage prior to the show starting) and Darcy were well cast and did a great job, but I think my favorite character was Mrs. Bennet. She was in character but not shrill. It was clear that she loved her daughters and just wanted to see them settled. The Gardiners played a larger role in this version and were delightful. Mr. Collins was Mr. Collins with all his usual mannerisms. It was all well done.
The most fun for me was seeing it with my daughter and her boyfriend–both theater people. For a moment, I felt like I was back in college debriefing after a show with my crew. My daughter did not want me to leave and confessed that the main reason she took this job was to get me to come to Nashville to see it. I’ve already been told that if she finds another P&P version being performed in Nashville and it matches my schedule, she will be on board for it.
Before leaving Nashville, we had breakfast at D’Andrews Bakery & Café. Highly recommend The Big Apple pastry. Yum! Can’t wait to go see her again.
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