For those who don’t know, the 1813 Austen novel Pride and Prejudice follows the fortunes of Mr and Mrs Bennet, and the romantic fates of their five daughters. With no male heirs, the family faces financial ruin if none of the five can find a favourable match before Mr Bennet’s eventual death results in the loss of their estate, which, being ‘entailed’, cannot be sold.
You don’t have to count on your fingers to realise that this brief précis means the five-strong cast of Illyria’s stage adaptation is outnumbered even before taking into account all the other characters listed in the programme, many of whom appear frequently and are central to the plot.
No matter; between them, Nicola Foxfield, Sarah Pugh, Edward Simpson, Chris Wills and Rosie Zeidler make this gender-blind sextupling a significant part of what makes this a highly entertaining show.
As a case in point, Wills impresses and entertains in equal measure as Mr Darcy, Mr Collins, Mr Wickham, at least two of the Bennet girls, and a horse – no mean feat, even without reckoning with the fact that some of these characters appear on stage at the same time.
Similarly, amongst the multitude of other heroes and villains of the piece, I particularly enjoyed Simpson’s Mr Bennet, Pugh’s Mrs Bennet, Foxfield’s Elizabeth, and Zeidler’s Jane, all of whom also shine in a variety of other roles.
Alongside their crystal-clear characterisation, Pat Farmer’s sometimes helpfully colour-coded costuming (much of which is highly entertaining in its own right) lends a hand in keeping the action lucid.
The witty production also showcases perfectly-judged directorial touches from Oliver Gray, including – but not limited to – knowing asides, hints of misdirection, and elements of poor theatre so simple yet effective they provoke smiles of appreciation to add to the many laughs along the way.
As for the weather on the night . . .
You know, given the vagaries of the British climate, that watching outdoor theatre sometimes means necessitates being almost as well-equipped as Bear Grylls on a survivalist adventure. Even so, I wondered if my full-house of waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, hiking boots and umbrella might be a bit of overkill. In the event, the combo was just right, allowing me to enjoy what might otherwise have been a very soggy experience.
I’m told that, in six years’ worth of Illyria productions visiting Liverpool’s wonderful Palm House, they’ve never seen weather like it; so you will almost certainly be able to enjoy the show in more clement conditions.
The only previous occasion I’ve spent that much time in such an unrelenting torrential downpour was when I was sailing in the Bay of Biscay. I have no idea how the cast not only withstood the rain, but effectively ignored it completely. Their commitment to putting smiles on our faces would have been worthy of the highest praise on a fine summer’s evening; in the conditions, their infectious energy was positively heroic.
As with the other hardy – and committed – audience-members, we didn’t stay merely out of sheer stiff-upper-lipped bloody-mindedness; we stayed because we were entertained from start to finish.
The phrase ‘the show must go on’ is often heard; I’ll be amazed if I ever see this embodiment of its spirit surpassed.
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