My Review of the concert performance of "Pride and Prejudice: A Play with Music", Rochester, NY Eastman Theatre October 21, 2008
By Nicholas D. Rogers
Our culture's fascination with this story and its romantic ideology is well established and well deserved, but given its widespread goodwill, the opportunity to create a piece that tells that story "differently" could very well lead to audience malcontent. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first heard about this piece. On one hand, I thought "good idea if done right" and on the other hand I thought "this could be tragic". Well, last night proved that the concept for this new piece is strong and has some serious legs. Despite being about a half hour too long in the first act, the piece holds together well with a robust score, here beautifully played by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, some really memorable melodic tunes, the heart warming story, a talented cast, and the dynamics of the imagination.
The convention of Jane Austen writing the actual story of Pride and Prejudice along with us watching the development of the plot and characters are cleverly intertwined. Jane addresses the characters and the characters address Jane -sometimes asking for certain plot points to happen or relating their disdain for their prescribed fate. The convention is well used and provides an imaginative view into the creation of the characters and their story. The first half of the first act uses the convention sparingly and perhaps too sparingly, but the rest of the piece accelerates the interactions. I enjoyed the convention because it consistently reminded you that the story came to life from her imagination and heart - choices, love, hope, society, etc.
The score provides everything from power ballads and operatic aria style laments to large formal choral numbers. Given the time period, the style of music is heavily weighted in the classical vein with a slight hint of the operatic. Certainly, the orchestra accentuated the classical nature with its use of piano, strings, and wind instruments – at times sweeping and other times delicate and soft, but the major conundrum here was that the orchestra was featured on stage directly behind the vocalists. At times, this was perfectly suitable if not delightful, but several scenes were overwhelmed by the dynamic sound. Additionally, many of the male performers’ vocals were swallowed by the instruments making it difficult to hear and understand some of the lyrics.
For a concert, the performances were very well developed. Their rehearsal time in NYC definitely paid off. Laura Osnes played Lizzy with devotion, innocence, wit, and romantic idealism. Her vocal performance was refreshingly clean striking a balance between classical vocal prowess and the smooth clarity of contemporary vocals. My only criticism would be her tendency to keep her elbows locked at her sides thus creating a rather hunched and restrictive posture. Donna Lynne Champlin was a resolute and confident Jane giving the audience a sense of her pride in her work and yet her vulnerability in choosing to believe in love. Donna was, at times, distracted by own her own passion and the binder in her arms, but I found that endearing.
Colin Donnell played Mr. Darcy as one would expect – an air of superiority coupled with deep insecurity. Overall, I did feel as though he perhaps relied too much on the “air” about him rather than purely character and situational responses.
Patty Goble provides much needed comic relief and dramatic melancholy as Mrs. Bennett, but Mark Blum as Mr. Bennett seemed stilted by the concert format and the binder in his hands. I can’t say he was bad but he certainly wasn’t outstanding. Rory O’Malley as Mr. Bingley was acceptable. His portrayal seemed rather naïve. I am not certain if the naivety was due to his character choices or lack of rehearsal time, but his performance was competent. His vocals were, at times, beautiful and other times, seemingly strained. It was almost as if some of the notes in his upper register were not quite comfortable for him.
Juliana Ashley Hansen played a simple and refined Jane Bennett. Her sisters, Mary, Kitty and Lydia here played by Anne Letscher, Molly Ranson and Jacque Carnahan, respectively, were gleeful and quirky with Ms. Carnahan putting on a decidedly giddy Lydia. Jennifer Waiser as Charlotte Lucas was realistically and refreshingly less naïve as the Bennett girls but still deserving of the confident friendship of Lizzie. Notable exceptions to the generally strong performances were Jim Stanek as Mr. Collins and John Behlman as Mr. Wickham. Mr. Stanek was decidedly out of place. His character portrayal, although “in line” with the literary interpretation, seemed rushed and at times sloppy. His vocals were weak and often unintelligible. John Behlman as Mr. Wickham was equally disappointing. His acting wasn’t committed and his vocals were off both in pitch and believability. Also slightly less successful, was Patty Goble’s turn as Lady Catherine, which played like a caricature rather than a realistic depiction of nobility.
The scenic design offered a simple yet elegant backdrop including a beautiful framed scrim with a rendering of an estate in the English countryside. The lighting design was often faulted by lack of rehearsal but provided an ever-evolving palette of warm and cold. The costumes were simple and appropriate with a bias for cream and gold tones. The choreography was delightfully simple in form but precise in execution.
Overall, the concert was a success and as with the quality of the material and the talented cast, it might be said, in native Rochesterian Susan B. Anthony’s own words, that “failure (was) impossible”. I am well aware that the piece needs additional work, but with some well thought out edits and structure changes, this homegrown piece may just find its way to the great white way.
Updated On: 10/24/08 at 01:05 PM
