Gay Pride And No Prejudice

Taking the Jane Austin classic and looking at the story through a gay lens would appear to be an interesting prospect, and on certain levels it is. Examining the friendship between boyhood friends Darcy and Bingham and imagining this friendship hiding their true selves gives a lot of scope for drama. A time when the penalties for male homosexuality were abhorrent and illegal. Add to this Elizabeth Bennet’s desperation to break away from the from the controlling expectations of women in the Regency period, and you can see where tensions could make for a very strong narrative.

However, this production doesn’t quite reach its initial potential. The staging by Bob Sterrett and lighting by George Sellis create a strong atmosphere and use of colour and a constantly moving set gives it an exciting modern twist that feels slightly at odds to the script and the direction. The play works best when it is being subtle and using the language of Austin but subverting it into new hidden secrets and humour. When that humour becomes more obvious and uses ‘Carry On’ style innuendo, it entertains but loses its appropriateness.

The actors inhabit their characters well although the broadness of some of their interpretations don’t always feel they inhabit the same world of the play. Michael Gillette playing Darcy gives a particularly strong performance showing all the depth and insecurities that stop him living the life he desires. Writer and actor David Kerby-Kendall as Mr Bennet has a wonderful downtrodden look, and his comic timing is spot-on, and gives himself some of the best lines.

With a title ‘Gay Pride And No Prejudice’ there is a certain amount of predictability as to what the outcome will be, and this isn’t challenged. I fact the plays conclusion is somewhat rushed. When Darcy and Bingham are discovered in a sexual clinch by Elizabeth and Jane, the girl’s powerful outburst of betrayal and loathing, has a switch to the happy ending that is all too quick.

This is a play that wants to show how hard it is to gain acceptance in both the past and the present, but that message and desire is weakened through a mix of too many styles.

Three Stars