“The audience hangs on her every word, her every move, and Garner holds our attention with her perfect timing“
Julia Newbould
4.5/5 Marriage Proposals
Sydney Opera House
Sydney
14th August – 1st November
This production was an extraordinary and unique take on the Jane Austen classic – not quite the night I was expecting but delivering so much more.
We all know Pride & Prejudice – either from the novel, the BBC series, movies, or updated adaptations like Bridget Jones – and so another adaptation had to offer a point of difference.
Director Tyran Parke set this production in two parts – in the first, internationally renowned pianist Melvyn Tan and eminent violinist Madeleine Eastman perform pieces from Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, and Carl Davis, setting the scene for this adaptation of Jane Austen’s best loved work. Eastman also delivers an animated narration, explaining the dances, social mores and culture of the period, allowing us to appreciate the setting more deeply. The music underscores the virtuoso performance of actor Nadine Garner in the second half.
Parke brings music to the fore in his production, highlighting the music from the 18th and 19th century, and the composer of the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. This contextualisation of the composers and their styles is enriching and provides a new grounding for the storytelling in the second part.
And it’s a treat from start to finish – stellar performers supported by brilliant creatives.
Garner uses a myriad of facial expressions to assume the different characters as she powers through playwright Gill Hornby’s pithy adaptation. Pared down to a tale of just 40 minutes, it’s pacy, witty and charming. Garner manages to include all the relevant characters without losing any of their pertinent characteristics.
My favourite scene is Garner acting out Mr Collins proposing to Elizabeth Bennett. Garner moves around the couch moving from an awkwardly kneeling Mr Collins to an appalled and horrified Miss Bennett.
In the first half, Garner appears only in the background for a fleeting and tantalizing moment but comes on in force, and owns the room, in the second half. Dressed androgynously, she can morph from Elizabeth Bennett to Mr Darcy to an obsequious hunchbacked Mr Collins to an imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
The audience hangs on her every word, her every move, and Garner holds our attention with her perfect timing milking every opportunity for maximum laughs.
Sydney Theatre Company has perfected monologues over the past few years with The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, Julia and RBG, and Nadine Garner in this role tonight has proven her ability to take the stage on her own too – and I can’t wait to see her do it again.
Julia Newbould, Theatre Now
Photographer – Robert Catto
