Pride and Prejudice (sort of)

Pride and Prejudice. Photo: Prudence Upton

This beguiling title “Pride and Prejudice (sort of) entices us to wonder what the “sort of” will deliver. We soon find out.

Five women busy on stage, seemingly cleaning, ignore the audience as we take our seats.

But it’s not long before we find out what we have coming. Now sitting on the edge of our seats, thanks to director Simon Harvey, we discover that a better title would be “Fast and Furious”.

This is a furiously paced choreographed production that has the audience at the edge of their seat gasping at every gag trying to keep up.

With head spinning speed the cast of five women who initially entertain us with cleaning and a little music, then  proceed to change characters with extraordinary effect using minimal costume additions and relying on character, voice and gestures.

Pride and Prejudice. Photo: Prudence Upton

The cast, Amy Lehpamer, Zoe Ioannou, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Ruby Shannon and Teo Verga, portray the iconic roles of Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Jane Bennet, Charles Bingley, Mr and Mrs Bennet and all other characters.

Amy Lehpamer leads and dominates the stage with her amazing voice and superb acting. Her most impressive and hilarious role is as the luxurious and pretentious Miss Bingley. She also takes the role of Mr Bingley and the repressed Charlotte Lucas, Lizzy’s friend who is made out to be secretly in love with Lizzy but marries Mr Collins. Lehpamer captures her characters so well it’s easy to forget who she is representing as each character takes on its own life.

Teo Vergara has her hands full as Lizzie, on stage most of the time somewhere in the background racing from witty put downs, scorn and contemptuous disdain to heartfelt move centre stage as innocent and full hearted woman in love.

Kaori Maeda-Judge  brings a softness to her performance as Lizzy’s sister Jane helplessly in love. She also plays Lady Catherine and  Wickham.

Ruby Shannon plays servant Anne, Mr Collins and younger sisters Lydia and Mary Bennet, (who is hilariously silenced throughout until she has the last word at the end, showing she’s all about singing) Her final song brings the show to a grand finale.

Zoe Ioannou is hilarious as the anxious, domineering and panicked Mrs Bennet, and the awkward man in love Mr Darcy who absolutely nails the scene when his roles as himself and his portrait collide.

Photo: Prudence Upton

Another hilarious and very effective method is the clever use of well know songs to make the point. Largely 1980s hit songs are used to punctuate the storytelling.