Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until 26th November 2022
Reviewed by Sophie Dodworth
4****
The majority know of Pride and Prejudice or have at least heard of Jane Austen, well here comes a fantastically bold, humorous and bright spin on the original.
Get ready for a very similar storyline to the original Pride and Prejudice but with so much more fun and humour injected into it. Follow the journey, just like the classic English literature 1813 novel, of the Bennet sisters. The sisters are under pressure from their mother Mrs Bennet (Isobel McArthur), to find a suitable husband as soon as possible, in order to have someone male to receive the inheritance from Mr Bennet (the inheritance can only be passed to a male heir). Mrs Bennet lacks an inheritance so the family face becoming poor after Mr Bennet’s death.
The all-female casts take on all the roles, quite marvellously, right from Elizabeth (Leah Jamieson) through to Mr Darcy (McArthur) and Mr Bingley (Hannah Jarrett-Scott). The transition between characters is super smooth and impressive. The show starts out as five servants coming out of the shadows of Austen’s book to tell the tale, then the revolving door of changes and characters sets going…
This is not a musical as such, but has lots of music running through it and all the female cast are blessed with beautiful singing voices. Such a beautiful tone on Jamieson, even seen through some of the songs that she is clearly acting out in character rather than trying to impress. The songs are all recognisable big hits, some could say karaoke style, but such a welcome part of the show; which did need some breaking up at times, with it being a two-and-a-half hour performance. Maybe a few more songs would be welcomed!
The cast are all extremely talented, each bringing their own ingredients to an uplifting performance. Stand out funny with excellent comedic timing is Jarrett-Scott, she had the auditorium in stitches throughout, she has an excellent energy which transfers to every scene. Great timing again from Jamieson, dry and likeable. Also getting laughs was Tori Burgess, multiple great gags and moments.
The set and props are well thought out and really effective, keeping the audience interested and engaged. Hats off to lighting designer Colin Grenfell for such a great use of his tools. The lighting plays such a huge part in this show, sometimes transforming the set completely with just a drop of light or the addition of another.
Funny and light with some really lovable characters…what’s not to like?