It’s safe to say, no matter what adaptation Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” becomes, it’s always incredibly easy to feel the love and warmth between the characters.
Tantrum Theater’s showing of “Pride and Prejudice” in Forum Theater is no exception. The love, passion and humor can all easily be felt through this talented cast of performers during their two hour long showing of the classic story.
The theater has nine more upcoming shows spanning from Oct. 31 until Nov. 9, with tickets available for sale on its website.
The dialogue and story progression were incredibly well done. For first time viewers of “Pride and Prejudice,” the plot was easily followable. All the actors did an incredible job showcasing their character’s wants and desires.
The feeling was most obvious in the case of main characters Elizabeth (Amy Pilgrim) and Mr. Darcy (James Evans). Elizabeth’s stubborn and prejudiced attitude on love contrasted so drastically with Darcy’s prideful disposition and heartfelt demeanor. The chemistry between the two was striking in every scene they were in, whether it be argument or passionate confession.
Jane’s actress, Madison Keally, was lovely in her romantic whimsy and swooning. Mr. Collin’s dramatic flamboyance, done excellently by Tyler Murray, had the audience laughing in every scene.
The costuming was handled delightfully, and was a stand out during the performance. All characters are clad in white outfits matching with the rest of the cast. The only two characters who break free from the similar costuming is Elizabeth and Darcy, which highlights them easily as the two main characters of the story.
Where the other characters wear converse, Elizabeth and Darcy sport time-accurate boots. Where other characters wear white, Elizabeth and Darcy wear pink and brown respectively. They easily feel the accurate to the time period and stick out so much from the rest of the cast. It also helps the two characters feel as if they are in their own world and the play centers around them.
The actors often switched roles between different characters. It could be confusing in the context of the male actors playing female roles, as Caroline Bingley, played by Murray, was not easily identifiable. Similarly, the Bennet’s young, female friend Charlotte Lucas was played by David Haugen who played Mr. Bennet, the older father of the young girls.
The sharing of actors made it hard to keep the seriousness of the story, especially in the case of Charlotte. In the novel, Charlotte’s character represents the struggles women face as they age and fall out of their “prime” years of obtaining a husband. When a woman would age past twenty five, it was unlikely they would even be chosen to wed.
As Charlotte states in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie rendition, by age 27, “I’ve no money and no prospects… and I’m frightened.”
The serious nature of Charlotte’s character is played down quite a bit when she is played by an older man, therefore making her character be treated more as a gag than an actual storyline. The Charlotte in Tantrum Theater’s performance is well done, certainly, but did leave me wanting more to be done with her.
Bingley, the naive, awkward and lovable bachelor from the novel is interpreted to be more dumb than charming as well. At multiple times, the other characters refer to him as one would a dog. Mr. Darcy even makes him fetch a ball as if he were a pet.
The jokes towards his character are amusing, but it makes the love story between Jane and Bingley feel less like a reciprocated romance and more like a grown woman and a childlike boy or a dog falling for each other.
The humor of the story stayed true to Austen’s original intent of a comedy. Not only is there the iconic happy ending so few classical works contain, but the entire play is full of the high society mockery the original novel contains. Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her prissy daughter are just as absurd as in Austen’s work, and Mr. Collin’s ridiculous theatrical bragging is no less amusing than it is in the original.
The audience was laughing the entire time and nearly every joke Tantrum Theater made landed with resounding success. Overall, all the jokes were a delight to watch, and I’d easily go visit again just to laugh once more at the talented cast and their incredible rendition of this timeless story.
