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Acacia Theatre Company's ‘Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley’
Acacia Theatre Company's ‘Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley’
Acacia Theatre Company has taken the old Chinese proverb, “all good things come in twos,” and literally brought it onstage—again. For a second consecutive holiday season, the company presents Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley the imaginative sequel to Jane Austen’s beloved classic, Pride and Prejudice. And using most of the original cast of eight very fine actors, the production is just as smart and funny as the 2023 staging.
We now find those four Bennet sisters in December 1815 two years after the older two, Elizabeth (Shannon Nettesheim Klein) and Jane (Olivia Najera), have married well and found happiness. But then there’s the “Miss Bennet” of the title; bookish, outspoken Mary (Cara Johnston), who plays piano fortes and takes care their aging parents. Cue the matchmaking sisters and brothers-Lin-law, William Darcy (Zackary Henke) and Charles Bingley (Josh Schiebe). And who shows up to celebrate Christmas? But the equally awkward and bookish Lord Arthur De Bourgh (Jason Will).
We can see where this is heading and it’s straight for the holiday hearts as witty wordplay and farcical antics unfold within the proper drawing room now containing a new, German tradition—a live evergreen Christmas tree! When the fourth Bennet sister, Lydia Wickham, (Bekah Rose), arrives, she creates her own “festivities” as she sets her sights on Lord De Bourgh, despite already being married herself. To add to the “merriment” of the season, De Bourgh’s controlling cousin Anne (Molly Kempfer) shows up unexpectedly—to announce her engagement to the beleaguered and even more confused Lord. And the “holiday spirit” really kicks in trying to sort out all the romantic entanglements —real and imagined.
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Playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon perfectly capture the social manners and oh so proper dialogue of the Regency era found in Austen’s works of this period. Co-directors Erin Nicole Eggers and Janet Bouman Peterson continue to keep the staging simple and intimate, keeping the focus on the actors and the clever and often times hilarious back-and-forth banter. The dialogue is smart and snappy while proper to the times. And the plotline of this sequel meshes seamlessly with Austen’s story and arc of action.
The ensemble of eight is outstanding and excel in their individual roles, As in the 2023 production, actor Jason Will his added even more funny, nonverbal movements and gestures playing the socially inept, awkward Lord De Bourgh. He is perfectly matched with the equally multi-talented Cara Johnston as the outspoken, quietly passionate Mary, seeking more of the world outside of her books and music. The cast is a tightly-knit ensemble and, once again, has their comedic timing down pat, including those upper class British accents.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley continues to be is charming and delightful as ever and well worth revisiting for the holidays. Once again!
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley runs through December 15 in Norvell Commons at St. Christopher’s Church, 7845 N. River Road, River Hills. Run time: two hours including one intermission. For more information, call: 414-744-5995, or visit acaciatheatre.com.
