PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Musical in Ohio: Most Agreeable
The Ohio Light Opera’s musical production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE gets a rave review from the Akron Beacon-Journal.
The conceit is to place a narrator — the character of Jane Austen wielding a pen — inside the story, and watch her bring it to life. (Or occasionally, to observe the characters, such as the ferocious Lady Catherine De Bourgh, played broadly by Sandra Ross, let her know who’s boss.) The narrator resides mostly on a balcony set above the English country homes of the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy. The beginning of the show was especially arresting: Characters dressed in white drifted onstage as if the narrator’s thoughts were coming to life as she sang.
This sounds very interesting indeed!
Really, it’s not Jane Austen without the biting wit, so it was a relief that this show didn’t dumb it down.
Ain’t that the truth!
What this team has created could easily be transferred to a Broadway stage.
One of the writers of the play has posted in comments that their ambition is to take the musical to Broadway, so it is good to hear that it is worthy. We hope that we get to see it.
As always, we would love to post reviews of this production from our readers who are so fortunate as to see it.
ETA July 16: The Columbus Dispatch is more measured in its praise: excellent idea, good cast, music is just meh.
ETA July 18: And another review from the Plain Dealer, who thought there were some problems.
