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| The cast of Austen's Pride (Laura Michelle Kelly seated) (Tracy Martin) |
Austen’s Pride
5th Avenue Theatre
Through October 27, 2019
Pride and Prejudice and other books by Jane Austen
have been favorites for tens of dozens of years. There are whole Austen societies
out there and you may have seen a few of the Puget Sound variety (http://www.austenps.com/) if you attended a
performance at the 5th Avenue Theatre recently. They would be the
ones in garb reminiscent of those in Austen books circa 1813.
Their ardor is for a world premiere musical called Austen’s
Pride. Writers Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs must be
lovers of Jane Austen themselves, because they’ve fashioned a love letter to
her in the form of this musical.
As the curtain rises, we meet Jane (a transcendent Laura
Michelle Kelly – though somewhat hilariously also quite pregnant IRL, which
would be terribly scandalous for a spinster such as Austen) in the middle of a success that also causes a
quandary: she has had such success with Sense and Sensibility that her
publisher wants more work, and she isn’t ready with anything new.
As she revisits an older work, encouraged by her sister (Cayman
Ilika), we learn through a flashback that her heart was broken long ago and
that she’s never felt in love enough since to want to marry. Jane now feels
herself to be unromantic and that romance is quite silly. She doesn’t like her
old writing because it was too romantic.
Then, her characters start talking back to her and asking
her questions. We’re introduced to all the P&P characters: the Bennet family
of five marriageable women – Jane (Manna Nichols), Lizzie (Olivia
Hernandez), Mary (Andrea J. Love), Kitty (Katie Dixon – but on
opening night, Chelsea LeValley) and Lydia (Delphi Borich), their
parents (Clifton Davis and Michele Ragusa), their neighbors the
Bingleys (Gregory Lee Rodriguez and Sarah Rose Davis), and the Bingley
friend, Mr. Darcy (Steven Good).
The whole story unfolds as Jane Bennet falls for Charles
Bingley, Lizzie feels disdain for Mr. Darcy, the dashing Mr. Wickham (John
Donavan Wilson) appears to woo and discard in his dastardly way, and the
earnest, socially-awkward cousin Mr. Collins (Eric Ankrim) tries to pick
his way through the cousins to ensure they don’t lose their estate.
There are some stirring songs (When I Fall in Love, Had
I Been in Love), some amusing songs (My Poor Nerves, The
Netherfield Ball, My Dearest Jane (letters from Caroline Bingley))
and a lot more humor than you might imagine. Ankrim is boorishly funny clumping
around in a dance, Sarah Rose Davis is impishly funny as the disdainful Bingley
with tart putdowns. But oh my stars, the divine Ms. Ragusa steals the entire
show with her put-upon Mrs. Bennet and is so very opposite as Lady Catherine de
Bourgh that you’d swear there was another member of the cast who they forgot to
list.
Ms. Kelly brings a grounded, appealing arc to Jane Austen’s
story, as she learns to accept romance again through her characters, and has a
magnificent voice. She pairs beautifully with Ms. Hernandez as the stalwart and
opinionated Lizzie, who also leads the musical.
The scenic design is quite pretty and versatile with the use
of projected woods on spinning, curved flats that reveal or conceal as needed
(by Josh Zangen). The costumes are beautifully subdued (by Melanie
Taylor Burgess) and versatile enough to allow quick changes for the several
cast members who play multiple characters. Director Igor Goldin firmly
grasps the material and keep the rhythm moving so there are never dull moments.
At times, the choreography by Lisa Shriver is surprisingly complex and
creates pretty-to-watch patterns.
The next opportunity for the musical after this debut at the
5th is unknown, but with a bit of work on finding stronger reasons
to burst into song and some tweaks to the opening sequences to strengthen the exposition
or weave it more tightly into the story, the piece has a lot of appeal for many
to fall in love with it.
The show is completely family-friendly for any age, since there
is virtually no swearing, scarce kissing, and the impropriety of Lydia running
away with Mr. Wickham is handled discreetly. If you are already an Austen fan,
it’s a “must-see”! If you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of the Bennet
family, I invite you to a lovely evening to get to know them. Maybe you’ll
discover Ms. Austen in print after that!
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