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| Teo Vergara -Kaori Maeda Judge -Zoe Ioannou - Ruth Shannon in "Pride & Prejudice *(sort of). |
Written by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen
Directed by Simon Harvey -Associate Direction and
Choreography by Simone Sault
Set and Costume design by Ana Ines Jabares-Pita – Lighting
Design by Jason Bovaird
Sound Design by Marcello Lo Ricco – Musical Direction by
Kohan van Sambeeck.
Produced by Neil Gooding Productions & Woodward
Productions.
Canberra Theatre September 16 to 27, 2026.
Opening night performance on September 18th reviewed by BILL
STEPHENS.
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| Ruby Shannon - Kaori Maeda Judge - Amy Lehpamer - Zoe Ionnou -Teo Vergara |
Having seen several stage versions of “Pride and Prejudice”
over the years, the opportunity to see this Olivier Award-winning adaptation
was irresistible, particularly because it promised to be even funnier than the
original.
The production is lavishly mounted. Ana Ines Jabares-Pita’s
striking set features a tall staircase and an even taller bookcase, with every
inch of each stair and shelf layered with books in a witty nod to the literary
source material.
Her costumes are equally witty, though somewhat wilted. No
doubt because of the rough handling required during the many quick changes that
allow the actors to play multiple female and male characters.
Isobel McArthur’s adaptation opens with five maids setting
the tone downstairs emptying chamber pots and grappling with plumbing blockage problems. Their performances were broad, leaning heavily towards mugging and
buffoonery.
As the action moved upstairs, Amy Lehpamer was able to demonstrate her renowned versatility
by taking on the roles of Charlotte Lucas, Charles Bingley and Miss Bingley as well as playing violin and piano.
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| Amy Lehpamer - Teo Vergara -Kaori Maeda Judge |
At the heart of the story, Teo Vergara as Elizabeth Bennet and Zoe Ioannou as the uptight Mr Darcy set up the romantic vibe. Ioannou also triumphed as the fearsome Mrs Bennet.
Kaori Maeda Judge’s roles included Mr Wickham and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, while Ruby Shannon played not only Mr Collins but both Mary and Lydia Bennet.
Tongue-in-cheek snippets of around twenty popular songs that comment on the action are sprinkled throughout the story commencing with Elvis Costello's Every Day I Write the Book and Carol King's Will You Love Me Tomorrow.
Among others are Robert Hazard's Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Chris De Burgh's Lady in Red and particularly appropriate for Mr. Darcy, Carly Simon's You're So Vain. The actors deliver the songs through in-hand microphones while performing amusing choreography devised by Simone Sault.
However, despite the unquestionable skill of the five
accomplished actors over the two-and-a-half-hour running time, and the involvement
of West End co-director Simon Harvey who directed this Australian production,
it was difficult to escape the feeling that something had been lost in translation during the
transfer of the production from England to Australia.
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| Zoe Ioannou - Amy Lehpamer - Teo Vergara |
Perhaps the size of the Canberra Theatre contributed to the problem, prompting the actors to overplay the buffoonery as they searched for the correct balance. Whatever the cause, laughs were sparse during the first act on opening night.
Things improved considerably after interval. The actors appeared more settled, and the performances became less broad and more nuanced, allowing the story to take over, or perhaps the audience had simply adjusted to the style.
Whatever the reason, the laughs began to come thick and fast, so that by the end of the performance some audience members felt moved to reward the hard-working actors with a standing ovation.
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| Kaori Maeda Judge - Teo Vergara - Ruby Shannon - Zoe Ioanou |
Ultimately, PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (sort of) proved an inventive and energetically performed reimagining which finally found its footing and an audience willing to embrace its irreverent approach to Austen’s beloved novel.
Photos by Matthew Chen
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