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Olivia Cox

Review - Gay Pride and No Prejudice

Union Theatre

Playing until 2nd November 2024




Photo credit: Lucy Nixon

Review {AD-PR Gifted}

Whether your first introduction to Pride and Prejudice was through reading the novel or watching a soggy Colin Firth emerge from a lake in the iconic BBC adaptation, Jane Austen’s 1813 seminal work of literature has spawned plenty of iterations over the years.


In David Kerby-Kendall’s Gay Pride and No Prejudice, the playwright explores an alternative version of the story where Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley navigate their love for each other within a society that’s incompatible with gay rights and marriage equality.


Directed by Luke Fredericks, this production stars Michael Gilette as the smirking, sarcastic Darcy and Noah Butt as a naively optimistic and enthusiastic Bingley. Initially, they’re introduced as potential suitors for the Bennet sisters, Jane (Sophie Bradley) and Elizabeth (Sophie Bloor), much to the delight of their frantic mother Mrs Bennet (Marianne March), who is desperate for her daughters to bag themselves a pair of wealthy husbands. By her side is the sardonic Mr Bennet, played by Kerby-Kendall himself.


But before Bingley can tie himself to the traditional picture of family life in a marriage with buttoned-up Jane, Darcy reveals his true romantic feelings for him that have blossomed over their long-lasting friendship, which Bingley reciprocates. This offers a charming twist to the classic tale and opens up discussions around marriage equality, keeping up appearances, and following your heart.


While the romance was sweet and tender in Act Two, the reveal in Act One felt rather abrupt, which undermines the love story that had been in the works for over ten years of friendship, and I would have liked to see more of a slow burn between the pair to give the romance a greater emotional pay off. A similar pacing issue emerges at the end, after the men have revealed their love for each other to their now-fiancées Jane and Elizabeth. The ladies are initially deeply hurt at their deception, but come round to the idea of faking their marriages to maintain a friendship pretty quickly. This made sense for Elizabeth’s anti-traditionalist perspective, but I couldn’t believe Jane would be willing to abandon her dream of the perfect husband quite so quickly.


The characters are given colour by the actors, with two particular standouts being Bloor’s unwaveringly feisty Elizabeth and Kerby-Kendall’s hilariously sarcastic Mr Bennet, who gets many of the evening’s biggest laughs.


March’s Mrs Bennet also brought her fair share of laughs, but the characterisation had a tendency to veer into pantomime, which was jarring in contrast to the other more naturalistic performances.


Visually, Gay Pride and No Prejudice is a feast, with sumptuous period costumes and set pieces which move around the space to invoke scene changes. George Sellis’s lighting design also helped the action pop and brought extra delight through coloured spotlights.


The dialogue throughout feels suitably period, and Kerby-Kendall does a remarkable job at replicating the feel of Austen’s original work while flipping the plot on its head and subtly alluding to modern conversations and ideals.


The topic of LGBTQ+ rights is handled elegantly in this piece, and serves as a critical reminder of all the progress society has made — and how far we still have to go in many areas.


Gay Pride and No Prejudice is a play with a lot of potential, but a few scripting and characterisation tweaks could elevate this sweet and entertaining show from one that’s loveable to one that’s utterly swoon-worthy.


Creatives

Writer: David Kerby-Kendall

Director: Luke Fredericks

Lighting Designer: George Sellis

Production Designer: Bob Sterrett

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