Theatre Royal Windsor – until 22nd February 2025
Reviewed by Liberty Noke
5*****
This is Pride and Prejudice like you have never seen it before. A story that has been done and overdone, I wasn’t sure we needed another adaptation but this was incredible. You enter the theatre and the 5 characters are playing maids. Wearing yellow rubber gloves they clean the stage and the walls. The lights begin to go down and the audience go quiet but one of the maids, played by Emma Rose Creaner, shouts in a thick Irish accent “Its not started yet, yous can talk amongst yourselves!” This instantly set a comedic tone and I knew we were in for a treat.
The 5 maids tell the story of pride and prejudice, each playing multiple characters and dressing up as them. The costumes really added to the humour and the physical theatre in creating multiple different characters without confusing the audience was really impressive. Emma Rose Creaner’s performance of Mr Bingley was especially funny but Eleanor Cane stole the show with her characters Mary and Mr Collins.
I know that fans of Jane Austen could be concerned that her work would be lost in a comedy such as this but the story was true to the original novel and I would even recommend this to someone who has never read it as it is easy to follow and very accessible. There were even references to the film when one of the maids commented that Mr Darcy – played incredibly by Rihanna McGreevy- “looked very dry”, a reference to the famous scene in which Mr Darcy emerges from the lake.
There are moments in the play where the characters sing, they carry microphones and sing modern pop songs that may not go with the time period but they are well chosen for instance Elizabeth Bennet (Naomi Preston Low) sings “You’re so vain” to Mr Darcy. The outbursts of song could come across as “cringe” in a piece such as this but every one is a perfect fit. As is the humour, the audience were laughing out loud throughout. Isobel McArthur, the playwright, is a genius. She doesn’t rely on overused clichés or silly jokes, her incredible writing had the audience laughing and cheering from beginning to end.
I cannot recommend this play enough, incredible writing, faultless acting and clever wit – this is the perfect night out at the theatre.