{"id":349843,"date":"2024-02-10T06:46:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T11:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=349843"},"modified":"2024-02-10T06:46:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T11:46:05","slug":"a-spot-on-pride-and-prejudice-at-american-shakespeare-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/02\/10\/a-spot-on-pride-and-prejudice-at-american-shakespeare-center\/","title":{"rendered":"A spot-on ‘Pride and Prejudice’ at American Shakespeare Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some people, the promise of spring reveals itself with the first crocuses popping up in the yard. For others, it might be baseball\u2019s spring training and the Grapefruit League season.<\/p>\n

But for me, nothing compares to the first productions of the season at the American Shakespeare Center. This hardworking company, versatile and innovative, has always surprised me with its repertory, and this year is no exception.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Natasia Lucia Reinhardt as Elizabeth Bennet and Philip Orazio as Mr. Darcy in \u2018Pride and Prejudice.\u2019 Photo by October Grace Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ASC has opened 2024 with a truly delightful production of Jane Austen\u2019s novel Pride and Prejudice<\/em>. As directed by the ensemble itself, the show has all the wit, character, and measured stratagems fans of Austen know and love. Accompanied by period music from the band Spare Parts, the world of Regency England receives a faithful rendering, with a few contemporary theatrical flourishes to keep us on our toes.<\/p>\n

The story follows the fortunes of the Bennet sisters, each of whom has her own unique personality, and all of whom\u2014this being Austen\u2014”must\u201d be married off before it\u2019s too late. Their mother, Mrs. Bennet (Sarah Fallon, in an appropriately ditzy turn), is determined to show off her girls to advantage with every new beau who comes to town. Their dad, Mr. Bennet (the calm, sedate Kenn Hopkins Jr.), pipe firmly clenched in teeth, is perfectly happy to let his wife manage these things, which otherwise might get in the way of his reading.<\/p>\n

By far the most compelling romance here is between Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy, whose on-again, off-again relationship is the heart of the action. Natasia Lucia Reinhardt\u2019s Lizzie is nobody\u2019s fool (even if she occasionally misjudged), and Philip Orazio\u2019s Darcy is every inch the dashing, brooding introvert of her dreams. The chemistry is contagious, and the obstacles strewn in their path, sometimes self-strewn, will keep you engaged right up to the final kiss.<\/p>\n

(Well yeah, of course<\/em> they kiss in the end; this is Austen, get over it.)<\/p>\n

The world of Pride and Prejudice<\/em> is filled with vivid characters, and the ensemble here wastes no time making them nearly unforgettable. Aidan O\u2019Reilly, when he\u2019s not regaling audiences during pre-show with a gritty rendering of the Stones\u2019 \u201cYou Can\u2019t Always Get What You Want,\u201d leaves you in stitches as Mr. Collins, whose backcountry dialect is so thick you\u2019d need a chainsaw to cut through. Meanwhile, Annabelle Rollison returns to Blackfriars most memorably as Lizzie\u2019s insanely bookish sister Mary, spectacles and all. And Sarah Fallon does a fun about-face, and when not playing Mrs. Bennet is truly terrifying as the elite, untouchable Lady Catherine de Bourgh.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Joe Mucciolo as Kitty Bennet, Summer England as Jane Bennet, and Natasia Lucia Reinhardt as Elizabeth Bennet in \u2018Pride and Prejudice.\u2019 Photo by October Grace Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For my money, the greatest fun to be had here is watching Joe Mucciolo\u2019s turns\u2014first as Lizzie\u2019s kid sister Kitty, and then as the horribly snobbish killjoy, Caroline Bingley. Does Mr. Mucciolo sport a beard? Yes. Does it distract from the fun and games? Absolutely not; once you get past the initial surprise (looking as he does, like he came out of a 1960s Mothers of Invention album cover), you\u2019ll find he gives both of these characters the innocence (Kitty\u2019s) and dripping condescension (Caroline\u2019s) required, and with verve. Plus, the dresses show him off to advantage.<\/p>\n

Because of the atmosphere at Blackfriars Playhouse, with the lights up at all times, this is the perfect production to introduce friends and family to Austen\u2019s world. If they\u2019re not yet Austen-mad, by the end of the show they will definitely see why she has continued to attract such a devoted following among readers and viewers alike. With the plus that, performed under ASC\u2019s signature \u201cuniversal lighting,\u201d you can meet Austen\u2019s finely-drawn characters, face to face\u2014and maybe interact with them, even. (I mean, all dropped handkerchiefs must be gallantly retrieved and returned, mustn\u2019t they?)<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sarah Fallon, Summer England, Natasia Lucia Reinhardt, Joe Mucciolo, and Kenn Hopkins Jr. in \u2018Pride and Prejudice.\u2019 Photo by October Grace Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pride and Prejudice<\/em> is a perfect evening out: a merry-go-round of flirtations, intrigues, imperious dowagers, edgy bachelors, ditzes, and know-it-alls, with an ending that is as improbable as it is inevitable. Emma Whipday\u2019s stage adaptation is spot-on, as is the show itself.<\/p>\n

Running Time: Two and a half hours including a 15-minute intermission.<\/p>\n

Pride and Prejudice<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>plays through June 8, 2024, in repertory with Julius Caesar<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (through June 8), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (March 14 through June 9) presented by American Shakespeare Center<\/a> at the Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, Staunton, VA. For tickets ($34\u2013$71), call the box office at (540) 851-3400, or purchase them online.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cast and artistic team credits for Pride and Prejudice <\/em>are online here<\/a> (scroll down).<\/p>\n

COVID Safety:<\/strong>\u00a0American Shakespeare Center strongly encourages patrons to mask when possible. ASC\u2019s complete COVID-19 Safety Visitor\u2019s Guide is\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world of the play is filled with vivid characters, and the ensemble wastes no time making them nearly unforgettable. By ANDREW WALKER WHITE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":349859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-349843","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nA spot-on 'Pride and Prejudice' at American Shakespeare Center - 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