Play Review- Pride & Prejudice (UT Drama Department)

On Thursday, I went to see the student production of James Maxwell's Pride & Prejudice at the B. Iden Payne Theatre on the University of Texas campus. A friend of mine has been reading and seeing all things Jane Austen lately and invited me to go along with her. It was the perfect way to end my Everything Austen Challenge with.

The students did an amazing job. First, the set design and the costumes were quite good. The creative use of the set pieces and costumes during scene changes was really fun to see. I can't tell you how many times I saw Lizzy put on and take off her bonnet and coat but that one simple change of costume during her monologues worked well to set up the next scene.

The play itself was also quite enjoyable. Austen's words and wit were all present and the actors did a great job of portraying these very familiar characters. I wasn't a fan of the monologues between scenes but I understand why they were needed. The play would have been much longer than the two hours had they not been there to move the story along. The actors who played Bingley, Mr. Bennett, and Mr. Collins were very memorable- very funny and completely in character. We felt the actor that played Mr. Darcy wasn't serious enough. There was some interesting silliness and faces made with Mr. Bingley during one of the dances. Cute, but not in the true character of Mr. Darcy.

All in all, I was quite impressed and was thoroughly entertained. I would be interested in seeing more of the productions put on by UT.



Eveything Austen Challenge






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