First Impressions


Reviewed 9/16/05

Arizona Theatre Company begins their 39th season by bringing in theatre legend Jon Jory to helm his latest adaptation, moving to stage the clever and well-loved Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. Adapting novels is a tricky business, especially those that are as tightly written and extensively plotted as this 19th century treasure. History is filled with stories of attempts that have gone horribly awry. Jory, however, is a living legend for more reasons than longevity, and his innate ability to understand theatrical through-lines, character arcs and interactions, and the power of an author’s words makes him the perfect candidate for the task. As Jory stressed when we spoke after I witnessed the power of his work in Tucson on opening night, “What I’m most proud of is that 97% of the words are Jane Austen’s.” While he has cleverly crafted a narrative structure where everyone moves the plot forward with description and commentary and has shrunk the novel’s regiment of characters to a core of 23 performed by 14 actors, he has also done everything he can to remain true to Austen’s prose, which is why this evening is a treat not only for fans of Austen’s work such as I, but a great entrée for the uninitiated to discover the world of Mr. Bennet and his five daughters.

Set in Regency-era England, draconian marriage and inheritance laws force its women to maneuver through its rigid society in search of a betterment of position through matrimony, which is why the Bennet family, especially its overreaching matriarch (Peggity Price) turn matchmaking into a career. Her five daughters, eldest and sweetest Jane (Krista Hoeppner), wry and clever Elizabeth (Julia Dion), bookish Mary Bennet (Sarah Roberts), flirty Kitty (Adele Bruni), and impetuously willful Lydia (Jennifer Erdmann) are on the prowl, quite unchecked by their endearing but overwhelmed father (David Pichette). When rich bachelor Mr. Bingley (Liam Vincent) takes the property nearby, Jane finds herself the object of his desire, while his much higher-class though off-putting friend Mr. Darcy (Anthony Marble) takes a reluctant shine to Elizabeth. However, class divisions and a tale of Darcy’s cruelty spun by the attractive Lt. Wickham (Joe Knezevich) keep these and other potential matches from happy conclusions.

Jory keeps this tale flowing, with characters fluidly moving between performance and commentary narration perfectly and utilizing very simple set pieces in Robert A. Dahlstrom’s severe set design to support. His stage pictures are miniature portraits of the era.

The performances are as tight as the text and direction. Dion and Marble are the central characters afflicted with the titled maladies, and they are strong in their roles. Dion is so engaging as Elizabeth, it’s easy to see why someone would be willing to break the caste system to fall in love. Her clear voice and bright facial expressions bring life to the popular character. Marble is very funny in presenting the morose aspects of Darcy, but when the character arc swings, so does his presentation. It’s practically impossible to portray the perfections of a character, yet Hoeppner makes Jane sweet while she and Jory are also quick to point out her and Vincent’s Bingley flaw in their lack of humor, which gives them shade to play. Pichette is the model of Mr. Bennet’s filial drollness, and Price does not force Mrs. Bennet’s annoying qualities, making sport of her slightly lower class ways to a more understandable comedic effect.

Erdmann’s Lydia is a tittering creation, sweetly annoying and every bit her mother’s daughter. Knezevich takes a role that could move into the areas of smarmy, and keeps Wickham human, a choice that supports Jory’s excellent overall vision and keeps this play balanced. Remi Sandri exemplifies the power of the actors in playing multiple characters. He is charged with playing three roles, two of whom, the haughty Bennet cousin Collins and the hard-of-hearing tradesman Gardiner, are so different, I didn’t notice until later they were played by the same actor.

The design element is strong except for one inexplicable choice. The period costumes created by Michael Krass are wonderfully detailed. Michael Philippi’s lighting creates a lot of shadows that are sometimes detrimental, though more often add to mood. Dianne J. Winslow’s dialect coaching impressively catches all strata and localities of regional accents. I am mystified by Jory’s visual choice for a set design. Though in a location where the division between city and country is integral, he has asked Dahlstrom to create a monolithic Georgian-style mansion that dominates the background, create a parquet floor, and flank the stage with minimalist balcony and spiral staircase. The few pieces that are brought on to suggest gardens and grounds are stark and brown-orange in color. There is no hint of greenery everywhere, making a potentially warm image cold and imposing.

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