Pride and Prejudice - The Pantaloons

Pride and Prejudice is one of those texts that everyone thinks they know all about – whether or not they’ve read Austen’s book. It’s a romance. About well-to-do people with excessively polite manners. And Colin Firth emerging dripping from a lake.

The Pantaloons, of course, excel at playing with these kinds of widely-known texts. They take what everyone thinks they know, lightly mock those expectations, draw out the humour of the original (many of the lines in this adaptation are taken word for word from the book), and they present their own Pantaloonish take.

They started the evening at the Underground Theatre by asking the audience who’d read the book (almost everyone said they had) – and then by asking who’d said that they’d read the book but had actually just seen an adaptation (a few honest souls said yes). They told us on more than one occasion that the famous lake scene was neither in the book nor in their adaptation. And throughout they slipped constantly and seamlessly between 18^th century and 21^st century dialogue, bringing the characters to life and interacting with the audience. This is what I mean by ‘their own Pantaloonish take’: they don’t just act the story out in front of you, they step out of it, bring you into it, have fun with it, and make you engage with it.

The focus of The Pantaloons’ Pride and Prejudice is probably more on the comedy than on the romance. There are certainly some particularly memorable characterisations, what with Lady Catherine’s roar, her daughter’s cough, Mary’s leadenness, and a Mr Collins who wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Green Wing.

But the scenes that are played more or less straight – such as Lizzy and Darcy’s argument after his first proposal – are absolutely electric. And the moment when Wickham is all that Lizzy can think about is both amusing and evocative too.

The music, as always in a Pantaloons show, plays an important part in creating an atmosphere. But in this production, they make the most of not having a piano in one particular scene, as a cast member becomes the piano (and is then ‘played’ by other cast members). Indeed, an impromptu piano-based pun competition set off by an audience member threatened to derail the scene at one point – but they swiftly got back on track and it served to showcase both the quick wit of the cast and their skill in dealing with and incorporating unexpected distractions.

Aside from one or two rather vocal audience members, it was a quieter audience than usual when I saw Pride and Prejudice (Sunday 14^th June 2015). But the cast worked hard to create the same inclusive, energetic atmosphere as always, and – though quiet – everyone there left with a smile on their face.

So if you think you already know all about Pride and Prejudice and what to expect – this’ll be different from the adaptations you’ve seen before. You might not get Colin Firth, but you will have a gloriously entertaining evening.


The Pantaloons are on tour with Pride and Prejudice throughout the summer – see their website www.thepantaloons.co.uk for full tour details.