“Hamill’s two-acter doesn’t stray too far from the original plot and sensibly includes Austen’s best dialogue.”“
Veronica Hannon
3.5 Stars
Venue: Old Fitz
Sydney
Dates: Until Feb 8th 2025
You may be familiar with this story about five virgin sisters in the marriage market. American Kate Hamill has adapted Jane Austen’s 19th novel into a play. Another American, Emma Canalese, directs. It is an excitable take on a classic.
Eight actors are charged with telling the tale. Production designer Holly Jane-Cohle gives them plenty of room to move, and move they do. It is a very fast-paced affair. Stripped back to walls adorned with floral doodles, we look upon an empty space except for a few sticks of furniture. I recall only a few moments when the entire ensemble wasn’t on stage, and this is a show with sight gags, games, dance breaks, and costume changes galore.
Hamill’s two-acter doesn’t stray too far from the original plot and sensibly includes Austen’s best dialogue. She has chosen to have four sisters instead of five. I won’t say who got the chop; for lovers of the novel, it’s part of the fun to work out who is missing. It struck me quite early that the playwright appears fascinated by all the women and their complicated journeys, so in this adaptation, there is less focus on Elizabeth and Darcy than you might think.
The choice to write most of the characters gender-neutral was the subject of lively debate in the bar at interval. Hamill has also dictated a specific doubling of roles. Instead of being a gimmick, it is well thought through and adds to the dramatic impact. To have Bingley, the most affable character played by the actor who also plays Mary, the bookish sister who ruins every social gathering, is hilarious. Actor Victoria Abbott stood out in these roles. Steve Corner, too, is spot on as the pragmatic Charlotte and flawed patriarch, Mr Bennet. The doubling also comments on how characters “fit in” and how they allow their circumstances to define their reality.
Apart from the aforementioned Abbott and Corner, I was surprised by Dylan O’Connor’s Wickham. The actor has managed to find hidden humour in the cad. Abbey Morgan delights as Elizabeth, and as her perfect match with a huge house, Idam Sondhi is a suitably haughty Darcy.
You can argue that the characters are simply playing a game and trying to outdo one another. Still, you don’t want to see actors doing this. On opening night, some players were willing to do anything for a laugh, which detracted rather than served the storytelling. There’s nothing wrong with the show being irreverent and silly, but it felt a little more cohesive after the interval, and with more runs under their belt, the company will gel, and it will be an even better production.
It is a good start to 2025 for the Old Fitz. Only a few tickets are available, which is great for a piece of independent theatre in a month when the Sydney Festival dominates.
photo credit: Phil Erbacher
Veronica Hannon, Theatre Now
