book-review

‘Pride and Prejudice’ manages to feel fresh and new at The Ruth (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

One might call it a universal truth that I will always be excited about a production of Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely love the novel by Jane Austen and the stage adaptation by Melissa Leilani Larson is perfect (I also love all of the film adaptations. Yes all) That said, I did feel a little bit cynical when I saw The Ruth was putting it on again after just doing it in 2023. It felt a little bit like a cash grab when they could do something new and fresh (even from Austen); however, my cynicism was ill-founded and unwarranted. The good folks at The Ruth have not only put on a great production of Pride and Prejudice but they’ve found a way to make it feel fresh and new.

Believe it or not I have actually seen this production twice now because my friend Jacks was in town for our epic 5 shows in 2 days theater trip. I did not, however, see both casts. The only difference in my Saturday and Thursday casts is we saw the understudy for Darcy played by Dustin Parmley. I hope to be able to see the MWF cast eventually but 2 times in one week is certainly plenty even for this Jane Austen fangirl.

One of my favorite parts of The Ruth is their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Not only are they doing shows like Once on this Island and Ragtime but they are thinking outside the box for shows like Pride and Prejudice. For example, in the role of Mrs. Bennet, a character who is usually loud and overbearing, they cast a deaf actress Anne Post Fife. Director Kymberly Mellen has integrated sign language and characters sharing the lines of Mrs. Bennett; thereby, giving her a voice she might otherwise have. You also get to see the expression of the characters as they are reciting the lines of their mother.

My favorite part of this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is how it gives voice to some of the scenes and characters that Austen leaves ambiguous. This is mostly done through letter writing but I love seeing, for example, what Darcy writes his sister while Caroline Bingley and Lizzie are taking a turn about the room. Another great scene I love is when Jane and Bingley are both writing letters to each other and then throwing them out because they are so miserable for each other.

Of course, we all know the key to a successful Jane Austen adaptation is the 2 leads and their chemistry. Like I said, one night I had the Darcy understudy, and he is excellent but the main single-cast actor for Darcy is James Carter who I had previously seen in the role at Centerpoint Legacy last year. He captures beautifully the shy yet brooding charm which has become the most popular way to portray Darcy of late. He also has great chemistry with Lauren Pope who is our Lizzie. She is an actress that captures the emotion of scenes in an authentic genuine way. When she gets the news of Lydia, for example, it feels like she is truly weeping.

The rest of the cast is strong with Sydney Claire Olson standing out as a single cast Lydia and Parley Lambert as Wickham. Kim Abunuwara also practically steals the show as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I particularly like she decides to sing terribly with Lizzie at the piano. It makes sense a woman like herself would think she’s a great singer even though she clearly is not.

I do think the play felt a little longer for some reason than other times I’ve seen this adaptation. It is nearly 3 hours at The Ruth which is a long sit even for this huge Austen reader. Also, while I applaud the integration of a hearing impaired actor as Mrs. Bennet it did lead to some confusion. I was never entirely sure if this is an accommodation for the actor to participate or is the character meant to be deaf.

The reason it is unclear is there are long stretches such as her long conversation with Mr Collins where he doesn’t sign and then other times when she is dubbed by the other actors. Also Darcy still overhears Mrs. Bennet talking and gossiping which would be harder to do with the signing. I believe the Mrs. Bennet character is the same as in the story portrayed by a deaf actor, not that the character is deaf but if any of the readers have seen it I’d love your read on the character. Also I may be unclear on this but doesn’t it seem odd to not have an ASL interpreter at all of the shows when you have deaf castmembers? I would think the likelihood of deaf family and friends would be much higher for something like this so a signer might have been nice.

Regardless I appreciate The Ruth trying something new and fresh for this story. Austen fans will adore it like I did. The costumes are outstanding by Brenda Van Der Wiel with hair and makeup by Shannon Hutchins. Pride and Prejudice is playing through November 7th but it’s selling out so don’t miss your chance to see it buy purchasing tickets here. It’s a romantic, heartfelt, and classic night of community theater for sure!

Pride and Prejudice is adapted by Melissa Leilani Larson based on the classic novel by Jane Austen. This was commissioned by Brigham Young University in 2013 and first produced in 2014.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

It’s elementary to enjoy Moriarty at Hale (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Growing up my Dad was a big fan of Sherlock Holmes as a character and particularly the BBC Granada series starring Jeremy Brett (if you haven’t seen it it’s fantastic and available to watch on amazon prime) I also am a big fan of The Great Mouse Detective from Disney and the first season of Sherlock as well as other iterations of the character. For these reasons I’ve been highly looking forward to Hale Center Theatre’s latest production of Moriarty (yes I’m aware the official title is Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty but I’m not writing that every time. Sorry Mr Ludwig.) Fortunately for this Holmes-head it did not disappoint.

The biggest standout to this production is the incredible set (set designer Jenn Taylor & Madeline Ashton) that transforms before our eyes with ease. The main set has exaggerated panels that can be folded in and flipped over to use both sides to create different rooms. They even at one point turn the stage into the Reichenbach Falls which are iconic in the Holmes stories. The set almost has a literary quality as if when they flip the panels over it is turning a page in the classic novels (I especially loved a boat that flips around to become a carriage. Ingenious!) This is mainly an adaptation of A Scandal in Bohemia mixed with The Final Problem and a few others added for fun. With this combination the play combines a lot of action and memorable characters like Irene Adler and the villainous Professor Moriarty (as the title of the play implies.)

Director Ryan Simmons has gathered a terrific cast that are just over the top enough to be fun without leaning too far into the camp. It never feels silly or like a comedy but it has a playful energy to it. Adam Packard is endearing as Sherlock and he banters well with Morgan Gunter as his sidekick Dr Watson. Packard also has delightful chemistry with Amber Dodge’s Adler. The Concord Theatricals page for this show says it has 5 actors playing 40 roles but here at Hale they have 7. The ensemble includes Bryan Dayley, Claire Kenny, Danny Kenny, and Bryson Smellie. Dayley is particularly impressive with his elaborate costume changes playing 6 roles including Mycroft Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, and Professor Moriarty all with different accents and personas. I saw him playing the D’Ysquith family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder years ago. He’s incredible at playing different roles in the same show.

Even though the program says it is 2 hours I was in my car recording my reaction by 8:30 so it is under 90 minutes. While sometimes I feel cheated by a show with a brief runtime I didn’t mind it here. Where something like Six feels like I’m only getting half a show here it is full experience and nothing feels truncated or not fleshed out enough. Ken Ludwig knows how to put together a crowd-pleasing show and that’s what he does here. I think this is a lot better than his other take on Sherlock Holmes called The Game’s Afoot which is too meta for its own good (I felt cheated out of a Sherlock story with that one.)

The rest of the technical team behind Moriarty at Hale are first rate with costumes that can handle quick changes by Joy Zhu, lighting by Marianne Ohran, and sound by Kristin Tenney to name a few (by the way I love how many women are working on this production at Hale.) Because there is a little bit of romance along with the mystery and adventure Moriarty is also a play that should appeal to both men and women equally making it a great choice for date night.

Because I love musicals so much it might be a surprise to hear that of the 3 shows currently at Hale Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty is my favorite (My reviews for Our Town and Joseph.) It’s a super fun night at the theater that you and your family will love. While it is playing through November 14th I’d get your tickets now as it is sure to sell out. Tickets can be purchased here.

Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty is written by of course Ken Ludwig based on the classic detective short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It first premiered at the Cleveland Playhouse in 2023.

I need your help!  If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look  here.

‘John Henry vs the Robot’ is as original as it sounds at Great Hall Theatrics (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

While I am not the most experimental of theatergoers I do enjoy seeing new original productions especially ones from local talent that I can hopefully nurture and support. Such is the opportunity at Great Hall Theatrics with their new original musical John Henry vs The Robot. While this production is not perfect it won me over with its creativity and heart.

The idea behind this comedy is quite clever. In practically a one-man show by Stephen Gashler (he is responsible for book, music, lyrics, producing, directing, and much more) he takes the classic folk hero John Henry and transports him to modern times where he confronts a Mach 21 robot a family has recently adopted. This is a smart take on the folktale because John Henry’s entire story is a tragic confrontation with steam powered machinery. He also creates an appealing counter-balance to the seemingly perfect robot character.

I know people think something has to be a musical to succeed, but I do think this story might have worked better as a straight play. The music didn’t add much to the overall message and without it we could have used the time to dive more into the themes and potentially problematic elements of an 1840s John Henry confronting a modern 2026. In this production John Henry is played by Dorsey Williams and he completely looks the part of the mythical figure. I also appreciate how physical a performance he gives. Several times he is thrown to the stage, which makes him seem all the more commanding when he rises back up to confront the robot.

Tiffany Davis plays Polly, the single Mom who takes John Henry in when her son Bobby finds him by the train tracks. Christopher Doubleday gives my favorite performance as the robot Mach 21. He is funny and gets that synthetic robot voice just right (also does a good Sean Connery imitation!) I also appreciate they kept the robot pretty likable. There really isn’t a villain in this piece.

A good comparison as far as the plot of this show would be the Thor movies over at Marvel. Basically there you have a character of mythological strength confronting modern culture and falling in love. They even both have hammers. Davis has the best singing voice of the cast and gets the best song of the night with “Multidimensional Mom” and “Against the Currents of Time.” Some of the other singing was not the strongest, but I’m inclined to be forgiving for a piece with so much originality.

The set is effective with 2 stories and a painted forest background that allows them to go from the different timelines without any scene changes. Most of the costumes fit the roles quite well except for a suitcoat they give John for his date with Polly that was so oversized I’m thinking it was intentional although the purpose behind that choice was lost on me. It was also quite warm in the Angelus Theatre making the experience more taxing than it might have otherwise been. The spotlight also seemed to wander across the stage and was a little messy.

I also think it is a bit of a mistake to have John Henry confront modern times and not address the race issue at all. I get this is a family comedy but a man like him would have all kinds of emotions and feelings especially when it comes to courting a white woman like Polly. I am sure it’s challenging writing about these themes but it feels disingenuous to not mention them at all.

That said, there is a lot of good here in this quirky little musical at Great Hall Theatrics. I can guarantee you this- you won’t see anything quite like it in Utah this year and there’s something to be said for that. John Henry vs the Robot playing through August 29th and tickets can be purchased here.

John Henry vs the Robot is created by Stephen Gashler and it is based on the classic folktale of John Henry which originated in the 1840s. He was known as the “steel-driving man” who confronts a steel drill and is driven to exhaustion. The actual man the legend was based on was born in 1848, and he did not actually die of exhaustion like the myth would have us believe. For more information on John Henry click here.

I need your help!  If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look  here.

A classic story told well with Creekside’s Persuasion (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and I jump for any chance I get to see one of her novels on the screen or stage. Persuasion has always been a difficult one to adapt because the heroine is more introspective and most of the romantic action happens off-page with it being a classic case of second chance romance. This is why I love many of the choices made by playwright Melissa Leilani Larson in her adaptation of Persuasion, and I enjoyed getting the chance to see it at Creekside Theatre Festival this year.

The smartest choice Larson makes in her script for Persuasion is she has 2 sets of actors cast as the leads Captain Wentworth and Anne- both a young and older version of the couple. This helps the audience become attached to the pair and their relationship in a way the novel is able to do through backstory and exposition but needs a visual manifestation for a play to be effective. I liked both sets of actors at Creekside with Eden Bostrom and Anne Madsen as our Annes and Christian Wawro and Ian Hadfield as our Wentworths.

The cast overall is large and strong in this Persuasion even if they had to overcome some occasional opening night jitters. I particularly enjoyed Isabelle Purdie as sister Mary who is one of Austen’s most obliviously self-absorbed characters. Purdie has good comic timing and captures the exasperating cluelessness of her character very well.

Director Jon Liddiard has made the decision to bring the audience forward at the Liahona by setting up office chairs on the stage to watch the show from. I didn’t mind this approach although it would be nice to get some kind of notice of this type of seat so I could bring some support for my back. Also I’m not sure if it is the stage lights but it does get quite warm on the stage which can make the play feel longer than it actually is.

Maybe I missed something but I also don’t understand what the point of the hanging chairs is for the story? I suppose it is because Anne has been waiting for Wentworth all these years but it just struck me as strange. In addition, there are times when Liddiard could have staged things differently for a better view of the action on stage particularly with the letter writing. If these actors had been in the back of the stage instead of in a front corner with their backs to us everyone would have seen them better.

Costumes are of course an important part of any period piece and I really enjoyed what designer Jen Christensen came up with for this production. The dress for Hillary Straga’s Lady Russell is especially pretty, and I like that both Annes and Wentworths have similar clothing in color and style to add to the feeling of them being the same characters.

For those that are less devoted to Austen and period pieces the pacing may be challenging. They are also attempting to do the play without microphones which mostly worked fine but there were moments particularly when the loud rotating stage was moving that were difficult to understand and hear. Still, for those of us that love this story it’s a wonderful adaptation put on by a talented group of actors. Persuasion at Creekside is playing through June 29th at the main Liahona stage. Tickets can be purchased here. Usually Austen adaptations do so well in Utah so we clearly need to get the word out on this one! (I would also not recommend getting seats on the South side because there are windows frequently present on that side that would obstruct the view a lot.)

Persuasion is based on the novel by Jane Austen, which was the final of her 6 books to be published. This adaptation is by Melissa Leilani Larson

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

Outstanding acting is reason to see New World’s The Seagull (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

One of my favorite parts of being a theatre patron is the variety of experiences I get to have. I love a big grand musical like I saw on Thursday with Hale Center Theatre’s My Fair Lady, but I also love the experience I had Saturday night at a small black box production of The Seagull put on by New World Shakespeare Company. While a long Anton Checkhov play won’t be for everyone I’d recommend seeking out this production for the insanely high quality acting alone but also for the immersive and memorable experience you will be treated to.

This is my second time seeing The Seagull and I was struck like the last time with the humor it has. One expects a Russian treatise like this to be dark and solemn and it has those moments but it also has quite a bit of humor. This makes the characters feel more real and human.

If you are new to the material, The Seagull follows a group of artists who seemingly have nothing in common but the desire to create things. Irina (Amber Heinrich) is given number one listing on the call sheet but it is a true ensemble piece. She is an actor who prioritizes her career over relationships including her son Konstantin (Jackson Eastmond) who she gives patronizing affection to. Konstantin is in love with a young actress named Nina (Kate Potter) who then is in love with writer Boris (Zach Reynolds.) And that’s only the start. There are a lot of characters in this play and they are all superbly acted at New World. Since they did the adaptation I do wonder why they didn’t trim it down a little bit as every character didn’t feel necessary but they are very well performed.

The production elements are simple in the black box space with a few props and a backdrop for each of the 4 acts (set design by Blayne Wiley.) Director Shea Potter smartly doesn’t complicate things but let’s his strong cast shine.

As far as downsides to The Seagull it is a long sit at 3 hours. Sitting on those office chairs for that long is pretty brutal so I would recommend bringing a cushion if you can remember. Either way you have to be ready for a long, slow moving drama. The characters aren’t super likable and it can be on the depressing side.

Fortunately you have almost a month to see this play so there’s no excuse to miss it. It is playing until June 27th and worthy of your time for the acting alone. Tickets to New World Shakespeare can be purchased here.

The Seagull is a play written by Anton Chekhov. This adaptation was done by Elise C Hansen. It was first performed in 1896 in Russia.

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CHAC’s The Lightning Thief is as Electrifying a Production as Possible (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

This last weekend I had the chance to see a new production of The Lightning Thief by the incredible Cottonwood Heights Arts Council and even though I find the material they had to work with weak they put on a very strong piece of community theatre.

Of course, The Lightning Thief is a musical based on the books by Rick Riordan and it tells the story of Percy Jackson the teen kid who much like Harry Potter finds out he is special and even goes to a special school (or camp) that helps instruct the half-blood children of the Greek Gods.

The biggest problem with this show is the book of the musical is very weak. The narrative is choppy without a clear focus and characters are introduced and then forgotten about and then brought back out of nowhere. The scenes have little cohesive flow to them and aside from Percy the character development is confusing and poor.

All that said, the team at CHAC did everything they could to make this flawed show engaging and artistically interesting. It was a big step up from the last production of this show I saw in basically every aspect- from the acting, to the directing, to the singing. If you are a fan of this musical (which I know especially young people and fans of the books are out there) then you will love this production.

What impressed me the most is the control of the story director Lauri Baird is able to bring to an ungainly script. I love how she makes every scene visually interesting with elements like puppetry, action and dance (members of the Aerobatics Circus Center perform.) This helps so much because even if I’m a bit lost on what is happening with poor Percy I can still be entertained with what is occurring on stage.

I also found Garrett Stephenson to be a strong lead as Percy with Kat Tietjen and Austinn Le relishing the chance to take on many over-the-top roles. They also have a live orchestra at CHAC (director Robert Bedont) so one really could not ask for more from a piece of community theatre. The choreography by Karllen Johnson is visually interesting and helped me understand the mythical characters that had previously been confusing.

Much like Footloose which I just reviewed at Hale Center Theatre, The Lightning Thief provides a lot of points of conversation for parents to talk with their teens. Plus like I said, this production is a way to introduce them to so many aspects of musical theatre including dance, instrumental music, puppetry and more. All this for under $15? It’s a no-brainer! It is playing through July 19th and tickets can be purchased here.

The Lightning Thief has music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki with a book by Joe Tracz based on the The Lightning Thief novel by Rick Riordan.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

‘Alice By Heart’ is a Weird Mixture of War and Wonderland at West Valley Arts (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

As a patron of the arts even more than a critic I want companies to take risks and try bold and ambitious new productions. That said it doesn’t always mean those risks pay off, and I end up loving the finished product. This is now the second time I have seen the musical Alice by Heart. The first time was at Weber State University last Fall and now West Valley Arts has taken it on and it’s a decidedly mixed bag.

Not to over-compare productions but one thing that made the Weber State piece better is they created the atmosphere and feel of a wartime bunker more effectively. I keep feeling like WVA isn’t picking shows that use the theater-in-the-round set up they have to its advantages. Shows like this, A Chorus Line and A Play That Goes Wrong do not benefit from the immersive nature this stage has to offer. In fact, those shows in particular are actively hurt by this stage.

For Alice by Heart director Brooklyn Pulver Kohler doesn’t use the platforms in the audience at all failing to give much of an atmosphere or tone to a source material that desperately needs it for the mixture of war and nonsense to work. It leaves the audience alone to guess and try to figure out what is happening to the characters or even where the scenes are taking place (and we only have an electronic program so no help there.)

I feel like I am coming across too harshly on this review because there are things to like in this production. The talent is all there, and I appreciate the choreography by Emily Henwood and the creative costumes particularly for the Queen of Hearts (Rachel Mardis) by Tabitha Sublette although I would still say the Weber State team did a better job combining WW2 and Wonderland aesthetics even in the costumes.

The songs are largely forgettable and while Ivy Dunbar Jones has a good belt her performance as Alice feels one-note and shouty without any softness or sense of calibration to what she is facing. It’s all loud, loud, loud and that can be exhausting. The best number of the show is “Isn’t it a Trial” which makes the most of the various pieces all working together as Alice is on trial with the Queen of Hearts.

Still, if you are looking for something different that takes some risks than I’d recommend supporting Alice by Heart. I wish I loved it, but I appreciate the swing and hope they keep on experimenting at WVA. It is playing through June 28th and tickets can be purchased here.

Alice by Heart contains music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater and a book by Sater and Jesse Nelson.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

‘LIFE OF PI’ INCREDIBLE PUPPETRY AND VISUALS MAKE IT A HIGHLIGHT OF THE ECCLES SEASON (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

Typically I am not a style over substance girl when it comes to live theatre (or film for that matter.) If the story doesn’t impress me usually it doesn’t matter how visually impressive a production is. I say usually because there is an exception to every rule. Such is the case with the national tour of Life of Pi playing at Eccles until April 6th. The story is fine and has its thoughtful moments but the visuals including the puppetry are unforgettable.

At its core Life of Pi is a simple survival story. An Indian young man named Pi gets shipwrecked as his family is fleeing India with their zoo animals. Eventually he ends up (in one variation at least) on a boat with a bengal tiger named Richard Parker. This is based on the book by Yann Martel and was adapted to the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti. Readers may also be familiar with the Oscar winning film by director Ang Lee released in 2012. Chakrabarti tries to bring a lot of spirituality and existentialism into the script but a lot of that felt cloying and clunky where it was trying to be sincere.

The aspects of the script that worked better for me were the alternate realities and when things become practically a horror show with events getting very dark for poor Pi. These sections felt more fresh than the bland new age spirituality of the supposedly profound moments.

Anything lacking in the script is more than made up for in the mesmerizing visuals. It’s hard to throw something at me I’ve never seen (especially in a play!) but these animal puppets are jaw dropping. The puppeteers are unbelievable. They create the feeling of a real animal everything from the movements of the muscles to the sound of the animals breathing. They even have a giraffe for a small scene at the beginning that took my breath away.

Taha Mandviwala is also outstanding as Pi. He understands the physicality of the role and is up for the emotional range required to go through a 227 day marooned at sea struggle. The other elements brought together by director Max Webster are outstanding and one can hardly help but get caught up in the drama of what is happening. I loved the lighting by Tim Deiling and Tim Lutkin and the way projections were carefully used to further the story and make nature a real character in the piece beyond just the animals. There are some strobe lights used to create lightning and other effects that might be hard for some people but they totally helped me get engrossed in what was happening with poor Pi on this boat!

I almost didn’t need the callouts to God and religion with this story. Sheer survival and the test of the human spirit is enough to think about and ponder. How far would you go if tested and desperate? What kind of person do you want to be and what is the difference between human and animal natures. That’s enough without bringing in 3 faiths for Pi to juggle.

In the end, however, squabbles with the script didn’t keep me from having a great time at Life of Pi and giving it a strong recommendation. It’s a stunning work of theatrical art that one has to see to believe. It is playing through April 6th and tickets can be purchased here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.

TEENS SHINE IN AMERICAN HERITAGE’S AMBITIOUS ‘PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’ (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love the works of Jane Austen including most of the stage adaptations (not the biggest fan of the musicals but I’m a sucker for most everything else.) I particularly love the two Jane Austen adaptations for stage by playwright Melissa Leialani Larson and will see whomever is putting it on. It is for these reasons I jumped at the chance to see teens at the American Heritage School: Salt Lake Campus take on her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is an extremely ambitious production for a high school to take on and they did a fantastic job executing it.

There are a lot of very impressive aspects of what American Heritage is doing with this play. First of all it is long and full of old-English language that might be challenging for teens. Most of the time teens do shorten versions of musicals and plays like Hadestown and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child both with teen editions. With this version of Pride and Prejudice, however, the teens do the full story which is no easy a task.

The stage that director Micole Mayfield is working with is small but set designers Kami and Justin Burnett have made the space work with platforms with frames for the actors to perform monologues behind or comment on the action that is happening. The transitions between scenes could be a little smoother but that’s all part of the learning experience for the teens.

As I said it is very impressive how confident the teens are with the large amounts of dialogue they had to learn. I enjoyed the entire cast but the standouts are probably Rylee Rubschlager as Mrs Bennet and Cannon Rockwood as William Collins. They are both very funny in their roles. This version of Pride and Prejudice has Darcy as more awkward than outright rude and Will Smith captures that energy well with Mary Anderson complimenting him nicely as Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet.

Here is an interview with playwright Melissa Leilani Larson

If they are looking for an area to improve I would say the costumes are a little all over the place. Some feel regency like with Mrs Bennet’s dress, then others seem almost Puritan with Lady Catherine’s dress, and finally others like Lizzy’s dress seem like prom dresses. I do appreciate they worked to make the hair accurate with long curls and up-dos but with such simple sets the costumes are pretty essential to setting the time and place, so that could be better. I also worry about picking a show without ensemble scenes. I know this is a smaller school but hopefully everyone who wanted to participate got the chance (I believe in no cuts high school theatre wherever possible.)

That said this production of Pride and Prejudice is free and would make for a great family activity. You not only would be supporting these wonderful teens but introducing the family to theatre and Jane Austen for no cost! It is definitely worthy of your time but act quickly as the last show is March 22nd. Tickets can reserved here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks. Please take a look here.