THEATRE
Pride & Prejudice (sort of) written by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen
At Athenaeum Theatre, until 17 July 2026
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ****(4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 4 July 2026. KH
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Ruby Shannon, Kaori Maeda-Judge Amy Lehpamer, Zoe Ioannou, Teo Vergara- Credit Matthew Chen
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Pride & Prejudice (sort of), written by Isobel McArthur, is exactly what it says on the box: it’s sort of Jane Austen‘s novel, Pride and Prejudice, but with a twist!
The tale of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bennet, her family and their various romantic exploits, including Mr Darcy (Remember Colin Firth in the lake? Or did you miss the ‘90s?), is told by maid servants from the various houses, large and small. They act as narrators of both the reliable and unreliable sort.
These perky, observant, all-singing and all-dancing maidservants swiftly toss on and off pieces of costume to populate the stage with multiple daffy, broad and comedic characters from Austen’s novel.
This show, deftly directed by Simon Harvey with choreography by Simone Sault, is a jolly parody with lots of familiar 20th and 21st century pop songs that haul Austen’s story into the present.
McArthur’s writing is clever, witty and deeply embedded in Austen’s narrative, characters and themes, but its focus is on how absurd these gentry and nobles appear to their servants and to us.
We meet their versions of not only Lizzie, but also Jane, Lydia and Mary Bennet, Mr Darcy, Charles Bingley and his sister Caroline, Mrs Bennet and even the taciturn Mr Bennet who is represented by glimpse of a newspaper in an upstage armchair.
This multi-talented ensemble delivers a rollicking performance. Amy Lehpamer is remarkable in multiple roles, playing each distinctly different character with precision, impeccable comic timing and fine vocal technique that she modulates to match each character: servant or noble, man or woman. She is audacious as Tilly the maid, daffy as Mr. Bingley and, as his sister Caroline, is toffy-nosed and absurdly seductive. But it is a joy to behold her depiction of the homely Charlotte Lucas as love-sick for Lizzie.
Teo Volgara is bold and vivacious as Lizzie while Ruby Shannon is hilarious as the over-dressed Mary who has a burning desire to sing – badly! Zoe Ioannon’s Mrs Bennet is brash and foul-mouthed, while her Darcy is suitably stitched up and tongue-tied. Kaori Maeda Judge’s Jane is comically needy, and she portrays Lady Catherine de Burgh as pompous and overbearing.
Pride & Prejudice (sort of) is a fat-moving parody that will entertain everyone. However, if you know Austen, it wil delight you even more – unless you’re a toffy-nosed literary snob!
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Amy
Lehpamer – Tilly, Mr. Bingley, Caroline Bingley, Charlotte Lucas
Kaori Maeda Judge – Jane, Lady Catherine
Ruby Shannon – Lydia, Mary, Mr Collins
Teo Volgara – Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet
Zoe Ioannon – Mother, Mr Darcy
Creative Team
Written By Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen
Writer - Isobel McArthur
Director – Simon Harvey
Ass Direction & Choreography – Simone Sault
Set & Costume Design – Ana Inez Jabares-Pita
Lighting Design – Jason Bovaird
Original Composition /Sound Design – Michel John McCarthy
Musical Direction – Kohan van Sambeeck
Sound Design - Marcello lo Ricco
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| Amy Lehpamer _ Credit Matthew Chen |
