Serendipitously timed with spring flowers bursting forth from the ground, Gamut Theatre brings us the 18th century romantic comedy soap opera “Pride & Prejudice” by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen.
The classic story is couched within the bygone era when women dropped their handkerchiefs, required chaperones when traveling, and courting was a relentlessly pursued business. Back then, being an accomplished woman meant excelling in embroidery, music and languages. Although societally weakened during that time period, addressing their husbands formally as “Mr. So-and-So,” strong women characters emerge throughout the play. And while the romantic costumes and setting hint at a cozy kind of love about to bloom, the courtships instead seem rushed and desperate.
Although not the protagonist, the main character responsible for setting the mood is Mrs. Bennet (Amber Mann), as “ma-mah” a high-strung, overdramatic, “vulgar country mother.” While obsessively matchmaking, she reduces her five daughters to their attributes, as one would do when selling a horse, jewelry, or any other commodity. In contrast, her husband, Mr. Bennet (Jason Samarin), purposefully back-seats his involvement. They are the epitome of a mismatched pair, shipped hurriedly, long ago. Throughout the play, ma-mah push-push-pushes toward repeating the pattern five more times. Mann creates a powerful matronly figure who takes over the stage whenever she steps on it.
The lone daughter who mostly resists the idea of matrimony is Lizzy (Grace Hoover). While she plays the sensible sister, Lizzy doth protest too much, until the formulaic “will they or won’t they” of rom coms inevitably gives in to “they will.” And she does, with the disagreeable, perfectionistic Mr. Darcy (Sean Adams), whose character develops as broodingly heated in that taciturn manner of the “strong but silent” archetype. Bluntly honest, Mr. Darcy’s words dig into Lizzy’s skin until they hit the bone. (His backhanded proposal reminds me of my beloved husband, Mr. Kopp. There’s something so hot about the unattainable and emotionally unavailable, no?) While all others are hurriedly pairing off, Mr. Darcy is the lone one wondering, “How does one ever know if they’ve made the right match?”
The obvious onstage chemistry between Hoover and Adams progresses, with telling body language that pauses a little to gather momentum, building each time they interact, then finally spilling over at the end.
But I’m getting ahead of myself – putting the wedding before the “I love you,” as it were, much like the characters in Austen’s world.
Although you may need a dance card to track who’s who within the large-ish ensemble cast, all the actors performed well, and those who twirl through the choreographed ballroom dancing in frilly costumes (Jen Kilander) score extra points with me. If you listen closely to the notes of the ballad, you may recognize a contemporary hit or two. If I’m honest, (and I am), I would have traded several scenes of the giggly gaggle of squabbling Bennet girls to see more of that elegant dancing. When together, the girls sounded shrill and chaotic, like a pre-teen girls’ sleepover. It’s no wonder Mr. Bennet relegated himself to reading his paper.
In lively sub-plots, Mrs. Bennet engages in a constant rotation of schemes to marry off her five girls. Erin Shellenberger plays the diffident Jane as a steady character, trying to win the affections of the wealthy Mr. Bingley (Kevin Willis). A constant target of her mother, Mary (Maggie Haynes) reminds me of Ally Sheedy in “The Breakfast Club,” bringing a grunting, off-putting intensity that keeps other people at bay. She stands out from her younger sisters Kitty (Allie Willhouse) and Lydia (Alexandra Fazzolari), the latter of whom plays a convincing alcoholic.
To add to the sisterly commotion, Mrs. Bennet needs one of the sisters to marry their cousin, Mr. Collins (Matthew Hogan), an eloquent preacher who knows his way around a thesaurus. Lt. Wickham (Dom Hernandez) appears as a charming and attainable option for the Bennet sisters. I think Lizzy might have considered him if Mr. Darcy hadn’t kept showing up every few scenes to annoy her.
The Bennet sisters aren’t the only choices for the suitors of the day. Charlotte Lucas (Abby Carroll) presents a weird rivalry as all the girls assume their marital places. I admit, it threw me off when Mrs. Bennet called her “horse faced.” Ms. Carroll is quite lovely, and I had trouble picking her out of the lineup.
Although Lady Catherine (Gabriella DeCarli) has a small role, she makes her presence big as the most objectionably wicked of all the cast members. DeCarli infuses her character with enough haughtiness to make me want to reach down from my seat in the balcony and smack her makeup off her face. In the same vein, Miss Bingley (Erika Eberly), more subtle in her nastiness, made my plus-one wonder aloud, “Who does she think she is?”
Some soap operas span over years, but this play only lasts a little over two hours. During your theater immersion, make time to read the director’s note in the program. Francesca Amendolia penned a thoughtfully written essay about perfection and love – not love as a complete ideal, or even an aspirational goal, but as a forgiving verb. Take those paragraphs home with you, and allow the timeless theme that is love to penetrate your senses. Never thee mind if your head’s senses don’t quite align with your heart’s sensibilities.
P.S. If you go, Gamut Theatre has a small request of you. Because one of the cast members has severe allergies, they request that you please leave any items containing mint, menthol or lavender at home. This may include perfumes, cough drops, tiger balm and chewing gum.
“Pride & Prejudice” runs March 9 to 24 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. Find more information at https://www.gamuttheatre.org/pride-and-prejudice.
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