Photo by Jon Crispin
Lizzy Bennet (Ella White ’22) and Mr. Darcy (Halima Blackman ’21) dance in a scene of “Pride and Prejudice,” directed by Katy Gore ’20
BY EZRI BRAID-GRIZZELL ’23
Mount Holyoke’s production of “Pride and Prejudice,” written by Kate Hamill and directed by Katy Gore ’20, opened on Oct. 18, just in time for Family and Friends Weekend. Tickets sold out an entire week beforehand and opening night was packed. The set, with columns and a floor appearing to be made of beautiful, stately marble, did not reveal to the waiting audience the chaotic comedy that would ensue.
If you are not familiar with the plot of the original “Pride and Prejudice,” a decent summary is made within the first few moments of Hamill’s reimagining of the original novel. The larger-than-life Mrs. Bennet, played by Hannah Itzkowitz ’22, quickly establishes the plot with her terrific ability to squawk: the four Bennet sisters need to get married, and they need to get married now. However, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet, played by Ella White ’22, detests the concept of marriage and has no intention of changing her mind, especially when she meets the stiff and socially awkward Mr. Darcy (Halima Blackman ’21).
Even those unfamiliar with Austen’s original novel will be quick to notice that Hamill’s “Pride and Prejudice” is a departure from convention. Rather than expected social restraint, Hamill has opted for over-the-top comic absurdity and far more sex jokes than most Austen adaptations. In various moments, this works beautifully, such as in scenes with Mary Bennet, played by Gracie Fisher ’21. Mary is very much the goth sheep of the family, adorned with a dark purple dress and a black studded belt, in contrast to her family’s pinks, blues and glaring oranges. It isn’t long, though, before Mary is all the audience can focus on. During a transition to one of the many balls the Bennets attend, Mary bobs and dances around the dark stage as if she’s attending her own personal rock concert.
Mary’s show-stopping performance effectively, well, stops the show at some points. When Lizzy and Mr. Darcy dance together for the first time, both expressing their deep distaste of the other, Mary has her foot up on the piano and jams her emo heart out. As funny and well done as it is, I found that I absolutely couldn’t focus on anything else and lost some of the plot points of the rest of the play.
Timing itself became an issue in some spots as well. The first time Jane Bennet, played by Jackie Rich ’21, and her love interest Mr. Bingley, also played by Fisher, meet, they dance together. It starts out as a beautiful little moment, and then that little moment extends to two minutes and a full song under the spotlight. Though I don’t think the various dances needed to be as long as they were, I did not find them taking away from the rest of the play.
What intrigued me more was the performance from Sophie Kitch-Peck ’20 as Mr. Bennet and the servants. The roles were smaller but highly entertaining. Mr. Bennet stayed sitting for the most part, making his newspaper comically larger than himself. And though the servants only spoke a few lines, Kitch-Peck made them varied and memorable.
Itzkowitz also played Miss de Bourgh, a character who is hidden under heavy layers of clothing. Though you couldn’t see her face, she had the audience giggling as Miss de Bourgh tried to flirt with Mr. Darcy in her own peculiar way.
But what made the biggest impact on me was the costumes. Mrs. Bennet was dressed in burnt orange and green, with bright red cat eye glasses. Later on, when she came on stage for the ball, her large, feathered coat made her look like a gigantic parrot. It fit her character perfectly.
Overall, the colors were done beautifully, both in costumes and lights, as reds, greens, blues and purples splashed across the nearly colorless set. Everything was more vivid than I had realized a play could be and definitely more vivid than I ever imagined Austen’s work.
“Pride and Prejudice” was not necessarily a masterpiece, but it was beautiful. I think it stands for the true quality that our theater department can create and seemed in many ways to be a theatrical experiment on just how far the department could push the limits. The experiment was, in many ways, quite successful, and though in other ways not, it was still highly worth the ticket. Hopefully “Pride and Prejudice” is a sign of many more great productions to come this year.