Born and bred in Glasgow ‘Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)’ is an absolute delight. The iconic novel reimagined to stage by Isobel McArthur, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story. Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation, where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance. Austen would be proud as this beautiful story of love, class and money is told by the very voices we wish to hear from – the women! This production is utterly inspiring to say the least…encourage your friends, family, teachers and schools to head to the King’s Theatre in Glasgow. This is one you do not want to miss.
Olivier Award Winning actor, director and writer Isobel McArthur is an absolute treasure to the Scottish theatre industry. McArthur’s dedication to Austen’s book is remarkable, making what could be perceived as an otherwise potentially pretentious piece of writing, an accessible fun night out for all to enjoy. Female voices being brought to the forefront is a fantastic take, using the ever present servants to drive the love stories. Isobel as a performer has an instantaneous likeability. She delivers a hilarious, relatable, driven and authentic portrayal of each character she plays. Despite her hilarious portrayal of Mrs. Bennett, her most admirable and impressive character by far is Darcy; the nuance in Darcy’s voice is instantly distinguishable and the subtle delivery of his lines is pure perfection.
Hannah Jarrett-Scott is outstanding in this production. Despite it being an ensemble that works together like a well oiled machine, complementing each other wonderfully, Hannah absolutely steals the show. From playing multiple instruments, a beautiful singing voice and an actors range most could only wish for, she is a pleasure to watch on stage. Jarrett-Scott impresses the audience with the energy she carries throughout the show, she never seems to miss a beat. Her comedic timing is reminisent with from some of the greats like Victoria Wood, giving her performance a type of nostalgic resonance with the audience.
Tori Burgess leaves the audience wanting more, in the best way! The audience eagerly awaits the return of many of her characters. Her comedic versatility was thrilling to watch unfold. Although she had many comedic characters, she avoided using similar tropes which made her completely unpredictable. She was not shy of using drastically contrasting inflictions when delivering the text which aided the comedy. Her physical comedy showed no inhibition, making her one of the most comfortable and fun people to watch – even in dialogue heavy narration she was still able to keep the audience’s full attention.
Christina Gordon has a wonderful youthfulness around her on stage which benefits her performance as Jane wonderfully playing a love-struck naivety. Gordon absolutely makes the most of each character – paying special attention to detail with smaller dialogue such as one liners from the maids which you can appreciate as an audience member. Her vocal ability was fantastic with brilliant projection and clarity. Her comedy is more subtle than some of the other portrayals which is a lovely contrast and creates a nice balance on stage.
Leah Jamieson has the most emotionally driven character of Elizabeth, a more “modern” woman than the other characters. Jamieson does well to prevent the character of Elizabeth from becoming one note whilst she is on the “I hate Darcy” train. Her connection with Darcy is almost seductive as the tension rises between them. Her emotional journey is well paced and balanced throughout the play which allows the real pivotal moments of the story to shine. Her relationships towards her sisters seemed the most genuine and thought out, which created very instinctual protective physicality around them.
Co-Director Simon Harvey with Isobel McArthur have created a very funny, very fresh feeling style of play which to me lives in a world of its own. Bringing this text to life and allowing the dialogue to breathe must have been an ever changing process in rehearsals. The value of working with the writer shows in this production, especially when it’s a necessary female take on writing which was at a time of male dominance. Every joke lands, the blocking is like a masterclass – making the most of the humour to allow quick and slick scene changes.
Ana Ines Jabares-Pita’s design is absolutely brilliant, the functionality of the set is astounding being used in a multitude of ways. Everyone knows the best part of a party is by far the ‘finger food’ the grandeur of the nibbles at each household was absolute perfection. The colour scheme of the sisters dresses was also very visually pleasing. Colin Grenfell’s lighting design absolutely complimented the set creating a very visually appealing artistic backdrop. The use of lighting took us to different settings and created the atmosphere for the audience. Michael John McCarthy and Niamh Gaffney used music and sound to drive the story, the musical aspect of the play brings it more into modern times and ‘karaoke culture’ the sounds and use of musical instruments really add to the comedic value of the play as a whole.
If you want to feel inspired, alive and proud of where you come from, go and see this play. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing Scottish creatives succeed, they will not only give you the performance of a lifetime, but they will ignite the creativity within their Scottish audience. The impact these creatives and Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) will have on Scottish theatre will be much larger than anyone can fully understand.
Get your tickets here:
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/pride-and-prejudice-sort-of/kings-theatre-glasgow/
Theatre Scotland 
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