| Musicals
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Pride and Prejudice
Reviews Messenger, by Kerryn Goldsworthy Period musical nicely turned But she had a
great love of what she called "theatricals," and if she were around
to see it, I'm sure she would enjoy this lively production very much. In turning Pride
and Prejudice into a musical, author Bernard J. Taylor has somehow managed
to maintain the complexity of its plot and characters. Director and
choreographer Rosemary Nursey-Bray does a superb job with the stylised staging
and the stately ballroom scenes of the Regency period. The costumes are
likewise excellent, and are very cleverly combined with the stage design and
direction to enhance the subtleties of Austen's tale. One such highlight
is the beautifully staged song At the Ball Tonight, which contrasts the lives
of the five young Bennet sisters with those of the family's servants. Musically the best
moments are the big production numbers, especially the one at the start of Act
2 showing everyone in the village of Meryton on their way home from church. Derek Robinson is
excellent in the difficult role of Mr Darcy, as is Kim Clark playing the
villainous George Wickham, and Michele Dickson and Neville Phillis are very
funny as Mr and Mrs Bennet, the ill-matched parents of the five sisters. But everyone in
this hard-working and well-rehearsed cast is upstaged by Peter Bleby in a
brilliant comic performance as the oily Mr Collins. If you had forgotten how funny Jane Austen is, this traditionally well-crafted musical comedy will remind you. |
