Death Comes to Pemberley
Theatre Royal Brighton
A promising sequel to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, two of my one time favourite authors, albeit born 150 years apart, come together in this stage adaptation of PD James’ novel, her last before she died 3 years later. I read Jane Austen’s ‘P&P’ when I was 15 and instantly fell in love with the characters, especially the witty, no-nonsense pre-feminism of Elizabeth, and (of course!) Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Years later I was hooked on PD James’ intricate crime novels, later broadcast as a series on TV, featuring Inspector Dalgliesh, the complex police investigator, spawning a dozen other detective characters with complicated lives outside the Force.
So far a great teaming. The opening sequence showcased the fabulous Regency costumes, which were a visual delight, helping to compensate for the less than fabulous scenery. Now I know how stage dramas can absolutely benefit from minimalist sets, but honestly just a little more Georgian opulence would not have gone amiss here. This was the fictional Pemberley, one of the finest of Derbyshire great houses, some say on a level with Chatsworth! Just 3 ‘windows’ depicting the surrounding countryside. Pleasant, but that’s about all.
This play is described variously as a ‘drama, mystery, crime thriller, love story’ and more. All these elements are there, broadening the appeal, and PD James was known as arguably the greatest crime novelist of her generation, and as an admirer of Jane Austen you can see why she endeavoured to pull these qualities together. The book did not receive terrific reviews, and as I have only so far read the first 50 pages, I hesitate to comment, except that I did struggle to ‘get’ the combination as adapted for this stage production. If you are not an aficionado of Austen’s writing, not terribly familiar with ‘Pride and Prejudice’, then you may not be aware of some of the detail of the plot and the characters. But then, this resurrection of the majority of the main protagonists bears little resemblance to the original sharp and witty observational writing. The plot is patchy with no helpful back story – just the discovery of a dead body and ‘Bad Boy’ Wickham, notorious philanderer, eloping with Elizabeth’s giddy sister Lydia back in the day, claiming responsibility. Captain Denny, the dead one, is not really satisfactorily explained, he’s just Wickham’s ‘best friend’ and I fear that is the real mystery. Of course this is just after we are introduced to that famous pairing – Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett – some 6 years after their nuptials. We are given a little demo of their continued love (kissing in front of the rellies and staff – really? Just not the done thing at the time). Elizabeth, that breath of fresh air, coming from a relatively financially embarrassed family with a vulgar mother and a disgraced sister, is now Mrs Darcy the chatelaine of Pemberley, and still outraging Darcy’s aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Lady de B is ably played by Sarah Berger (also doubly up as Mrs Bidwell) could have done with a trifle more imperiousness, but her Mrs Bidwell was spot on and a treat to watch.
Now, perhaps irrationally, I feel slightly nervous when I hear a former soap star is starring in a meaty stage dramatic role. However, no need to worry about this 10 year veteran of Eastenders, James Bye was superb as Mr Darcy, having mellowed since marrying Lizzy, delivered just the right blend of moderate open affection towards his wife, whilst conveying his obvious command of the situation as a phlegmatic head of household. His aristocratic restraint was exactly as it should be, the combining with an encouragement and understanding of a woman’s independent nature was impressive.
Elizabeth (Jamie-Rose Duke) came across as I had hoped, a kind, sympathetic but no nonsense modern woman of the age, perfectly complementing her husband’s character. It was rather nice though to see them have a tiny contretemps, a little spat, to offset the saccharine-ness.
The other central character of course was the infamous George Wickham (Sam Woodhams), think a young Ian McShane, devilishly handsome and not shy of making us aware of it. Woodhams has a great voice for stage, and was pretty mesmerising throughout, not least when he took his shirt off for Elizabeth to dab his wounds after the murder in the woods, showing off his not inconsiderable pecs. Very enjoyable, but totally unbelievable, a woman of Elizabeth’s rank at Pemberley would never, never have done that. And all that dabbing resulted in no bloody rag from the non-existent wounds on his rippling muscles. His poor hysterical wife Lydia (Mogali Masuku) had a mere bit part, sadly, but as Mogali doubled up as Louisa Bidwell, had a chance to shine more brightly.
The magistrate, Sir Selwyn Hardcastle (Todd Boyce), who appeared to have a multitude of medical and forensic skills, a great deal more than the brandy loving doctor, was unrecognisable from his character so far as I’ve read in the book. He became more and more camp with each of the many scenes he appeared in, with his faint Edinburgh accent gradually morphing into a Richard Wilson pastiche, with a touch of Tom Allen thrown in. Bewildering.
I found the play highly entertaining on the whole, and I loved the little homage to Jane Austen when one of the characters quoted those famous opening lines of Pride and Prejudice. However I feel it got a little lost in the scripting, not succeeding in being convincing enough either as a dark mystery drama or a light comedic piece, and some of the dialogue and ‘inserted messages’ jarred, and didn’t really work. Too much focus on trying to demonstrate how feminism was ‘the thing’ – Elizabeth insisting on retainers calling her by her first name would have had Miss Austen turning in her proverbial. There was little tension and practically no feeling of suspense, despite the claps of thunder and lightning flashes.
On the whole though, an enjoyable night at the theatre, lots to like, featuring some stylish performances. I go back to my first impression – the attention to detail in the costumes by Natalie Titchener was stunning and so appreciated. Just exquisite.
2 hours 20 mins including 20 minute interval
⭐⭐⭐
Touring
Reviewer: Gill Ranson