Review: The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged). The Alma Tavern and Theatre, Bristol.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a play whose only male actor drops out at the last moment is in need of a quick stand in. Enter Nina Bright dressed as an upper-class Regency chap. Knowing nothing of the works of Jane Austen Nina quickly gets the picture of privilege, misogyny and entitlement that is the norm for the likes of Darcy, Wickham and Collins in Pride and Prejudice as sensible Persuasion fan Jaleelah Galbraith (Jal) and extrovert Pride and Prejudice champion Emma Giles fill in the plot and characters with the speed of a phaeton and two horses on the King’s highway.
Blind Date, Single Ladies, Dungeons and Dragons, the number of modern references in the high speed comedy The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged) come at you as fast as Lydia hopping into bed with Wickham. Along with super simple comic synopses of the novels mashed up with the TV, film and stage adaptions and we are on planet Jane Austen. Originally written by Americans Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast, and Meghan Winch the fast-paced romp is one part slapstick, one part a play within a play, one part Austen-esque sketches and above all a tribute to the genius of the Hampshire writer.
The cast of three all took on the characters of Austen’s famous ‘big six’ novels (and their hats) with Nina Bright playing all the men. Set in the basic black box stage at the Alma Theatre in front of a packed audience with just a large rug, a chaise longue and a desk and chair to give a touch of Regency authenticity the cast were in period costume including for the two women in their revealing Empire line gowns. Which as Emma explains are the reason the novels have been filmed so many times. Without constricting corsets fashionable in Victorian England, the females could breathe, express their opinions and show their cleavages to advantage – or their ‘great tits’ as Emma said.
The chemistry between the trio is what made the production so enthralling as if you strip away some of the dialogue, it’s the facial expressions, adlibs, physicality and movement that captivates. There’s the expressive and ebullient Emma (with a sexy Lydia Bennet hiding inside her) who in one minute is near to orgasm thinking about Colin Firth emerging from the lake at Pemberly and in the next is praising every Janeite’s favourite: the witty and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet. In contrast, Jal went to verbal war with Emma over the merits of Anne Elliot in Persuasion – the grown up and mature intelligent heroine who she portrays in a moving monologue – and a sequence that was in contrast to the high energy of some of the previous scenes. Nina as the token man also represented those who have no knowledge of Jane Austen or Georgian society or as Emma puts it: “This is Regency England, not Fishponds on a Saturday Night.” And Nina’s many excellent characterisations including her neat switches between dull Mr Collins to saucy Wickham was aided by wearing various hats – or as Jal remarked ‘never underestimate the power of a good hat’.
Highlights included the novel Emma, presented as TV’s Blind Date in which Harriet is an airhead and dull but safe bet Robert Martin is a potato; Lady Susan who seduces married men and is ‘frighteningly beautiful’ as she sits at her desk with a come-hither expression; Northanger Abbey which Nina loved as it was like ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ with its secret rooms and dark mysteries; and Mansfield Park with its heroine Fanny Price – the poster girl for introverts.
Yes, hold on to your bonnets for a trip to Planet Jane Austen in just 80 minutes. A tight script, visual jokes, physical theatre, plus all the novels’ main characters, and some of Austen’s most quotable quotes this was a brilliant five star Schoolhouse Production directed by Anna Friend with pace and aplomb and was lapped up by an audience of 100% Jane Austen fans.
Harry Mottram
The play runs to Saturday, 19th October, 2024.
For more information on Schoolhouse Productions visit their Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/almaschoolhouse/?hl=en
Jane Austen (1775 –1817) lived in Hampshire and died at the age of 41. Before modern diagnosis it is unclear of what Jane died from but possibly cancer.
For the record I reviewed the play on Tuesday, 15th October, and it over ran by 10 minutes. Which wasn’t a problem as it was so enjoyable. There is no interval by the way.
Tickets and more info at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/1294126?
The Alma Tavern and Theatre is in Clifton in Bristol. See https://www.almatavernandtheatre.co.uk/
In Bath, The Jane Austen Festival ran from 13-22 September 2024, and will return again next year. The Jane Austen Centre is in Gay Street, Bath. See https://janeausten.co.uk/
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