Theatre - Pride and Prejudice, The Musical

Everyman, Cork

It’s true to the 200-year-old, much-loved story of the troubled courtship between the financially strapped Elizabeth Bennett (Hazel Gardner) and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Neil McDermott), a wealthy aristocrat. Elizabeth has four unmarried sisters, a supercilious father (Ben Sleep), and a preposterous, snobbish and transparent mother, Mrs Bennett (Christina Nelson), whose goal is to see her daughters marry well.

The singing is of a mixed quality and the sound doesn’t serve the actors well. When Mrs Bennett opens the show, her voice is drowned out by a loud piano. The lyrics don’t move the action along; they concentrate on feelings. Because ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is heavily nuanced, with subtle changes in mood conveyed by precise use of language, the singing underscores what the characters are really thinking.

This musical acknowledges the humour in Austen’s portrayal of a society in which women had a limited role.

As far as is possible, the show is played for laughs, with Mrs Bennett providing most of the levity as she becomes ridiculously over-excited at the whiff of an eligible man for her girls.

Mrs Bennett’s over-the-top behaviour becomes irritating, but Nelson’s performance as the grasping matriarch is noteworthy for its energy and comic timing.

McDermott’s Darcy is a stern, cold man, who undergoes a change of heart (but not of demeanour)s when he finally declares his love for Elizabeth. Gardner’s performance as Elizabeth is impressive.

An odd and unnecessary presence on the stage is a man dressed as a woman, whose face is mostly hidden by a book. There is more gender-bending, with Sleep playing Darcy’s aunt, the imperious Lady Catherine.

This show, over three hours long, needs editing. It covers too much ground in its efforts to be loyal to Austen.

*Runs until Aug 31.