Pride and Prejudice - a perfect run-in for the festive season

Dec 4 2009 By Barry Dix

IT’S PANTOMIME time in Windsor next week, but before the Aladdin team move in with their outrageous costumes, terrible puns and zany characters, there’s a chance to revel in little bit of theatrical enchantment of a vastly different, far less raucous nature.

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of extremely amusing moments in a highly-entertaining version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, at the Theatre Royal.

In fact, there are times when it verges on the pantomimic, though great effort has been made to ensure these jovial interludes are never disrespectful to the overall tone of the proceedings.

An ever-youthful Susan Hampshire leads the cast as the manipulative Mrs Bennet, who will stop at nothing to see her five daughters married to the most suitable, and richest, men.

Transferring one of our best-loved novels to the stage - first attempted as long ago as 1906 - is a formidable task but Simon Reade, a former literary manager with the RSC, has succeeded in reducing the intricacies of the plot to a hugely-watchable and intensely-entertaining two and a half hours.

With most people these days more familiar with lavish television or cinematic adaptations, recreating the blend of charm and grandeur which provided the background to the lives of those in early 19th century polite society, with all its complicated conventions and code of manners, is no mean feat.

Designer Christopher Woods has chosen to set the action in an uncluttered - some would say stark - set. There is no attempt to provide elegant Georgian backdrops and, sorry ladies, there is certainly no swimming scene with Mr Darcy rising dripping from a lake.

To be honest, the few props there are could easily be stowed away in a Transit van.

The bareness of the stage is an initial disappointment, it must be admitted, but the minimalist look provides the ideal opportunity for the actors to draw fully on their skills and let the audience concentrate on the all the elaborate nuances of the plot.

And in that they succeed magnificently.

The action moves on at a breathtaking pace, helped by the fact that changes of scene are made by members of the cast simply removing and bringing on the limited supply of furniture. Let your mind wander for a moment or two and you’ll be left behind.

Much use is made of music and dance to break up the scenes and convey the quickly-altering moods of the proceedings, with a combination of recordings and live fiddle tunes provided by the digital dexterity of Victoria Hamnett, an accomplished musician, who takes the role of Mary.

Miss Hampshire, still full of energy after five decades as an actress, gives a sparkling performance and is an obvious inspiration to the younger members of the cast.

Katie Lightfoot in her professional theatre debut - she only graduated from RADA in July - is a highly-impressive Elizabeth Bennet, and there is plenty of wonderful acting from the rest of the cast, even if Tom Mothersdale as the intensely-irritating churchman Mr Collins does veer perilously close to becoming a Mr Bean impersonator at times!

This adaptation provides a perfect run-in to the festive season, but don’t waste any time if you want to see it. Its run at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, ends on Saturday. Call the box office on 01753 853888.