Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) - Criterion Theatre / Tour

If you've ever wanted to see Jane Austen given the Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour or Glasgow Girls treatment, then Blood of the Young's all-female, karaoke-soaked take on Pride and Prejudice is the show you've been waiting for.

With more than a nod to the her-story of Six thrown in for good measure, this is a tour of a production that debuted in Glasgow last year and will continue to travel the UK into 2020. I caught it yesterday at Birmingham Rep where it plays until 2nd November.

Throwing a playlist of lovesick pop songs and much breaking of the fourth wall into the mix, the show provides a riotous retelling of the familiar story from the perspective of the all-seeing servants below stairs. With the phenomenal cast of six multi-roling as the sisters, their mother and the various suitors, this is a raucous, vibrant and incredibly fresh production, with fun, silliness and mischief to be found at every turn, yet one which somehow also succeeds in remaining faithful to Austen's story, with a clear affection for the source material never far beneath the surface. It manages to maintain a sense of subtlety and complexity, despite the air of caricature and pantomime, and delivers some touching, delicate moments of truth. It's that combination of sending up, while quietly revering, the original work that really underpins the magic on stage and gives the production a huge heart.

It's the way the story is told which merits the "sort of" in the title. Each glamorous ball, romance and scandal survives in-tact but writer Isobel McArthur switches Austen's prose for contemporary, blunt exchanges, provoking laughter at every turn with the culture clash that ensues. There's swearing, singing and frequent costume changes, with confetti, microphones, trumpets, a harp and even a life-sized horse all thrown in for good measure. The action is often brought into the auditorium too, with the audience addressed directly and very much involved in the action (though it's very much playful interaction and not forced, awkward participation). At one point, we're asked if we're all okay for drinks!

It's a mindblowingly talented ensemble of six who relay the story, with writer Isobel McArthur segueing superbly as the stoic Darcy and the shrill, shrieking Mrs Bennet. Meghan Tyler's Elizabeth Bennet (in her own words, a "persona non-starter") delivers a gloriously deadbeat, drippingly droll rendition of You're So Vain, aimed at a bewildered Mr Darcy, while Tori Burgess' singing-obsessed Mary belatedly gets her moment to take to the mike, leading the cast in a soulful, joyous rendition of Young Hearts Run Free in the finale. We're also treated to the likes of Will You Love Me Tomorrow, I Got You Babe (delivered while stood on a beer crate) and Every Day I Write The Book, to name just a few. It's a company with comic prowess at its core but it's also a cast who are just as adept at turning their hands to playing multiple instruments and picking up a microphone to belt out the many musical numbers. The energy and commitment in the performances contribute so much to making this such a magical two hours 40 minutes of theatre. 

This is probably the best musical or play I've seen this year. Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of) provides a delightfully kaleidoscopic, irreverent yet reverential take on a much-loved novel that re-imagines how the Bennets might have behaved behind closed doors, without a filter. Blasting the sisters into the 21st century also injects a sense of female empowerment, presenting the Bennets as practical, forthright, single-minded young women who view the social order with thinly disguised disdain. The rapturous applause and standing ovation which brought the performance to a close has rarely been more deserved. The cast looked chuffed to bits with the audience reaction and so they should. This is one of those wonderful nights at the theatre where everyone on and off stage is having a ball. Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of) is an out-and-out triumph. 

Five stars.