Jane Austen spoof's a triumph

The annual outing at The Commandery from the Worcester Rep reached its thirteenth year and while unlucky for some, the thirteenth outing did not disappoint.

The direction and interpretation for this year’s outing came from Ben Humphrey, who stepped in as the company’s Acting Artistic Director, returning from Scotland to take the helm: and we should be glad he did. The Commandery productions have varied in style and tone each year swapping between the more ‘worthy’ Shakespeare outings to the more successful spoofs of literary classics.

Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the victim to the ‘crime’ of parody this year and the production lampoons the period and style with panache.

There was a different energy to the cast in this outing at the Commandery, which seemed to stem from a departure of one or two more tired and overused actors from past productions bringing a new lease of life to the proceedings.

Edward Manning as the befuddled Mrs Bennet was hilarious from the moment the character stepped on stage. Watching Manning’s Mrs B trying to understand a silent disco was great fun. Mr Bennet was given the world-weary treatment by Jonathan Darby who you really did believe just wanted to be left alone, and with Manning for a wife, who could blame him?

The star turn, however, came from John-Robert Partridge who, complete with an array of silly voices and confused pronunciations, had the audience gasping for air.

The energy behind the production was fast-paced, the perfect summer tonic for an evening.

Thomas Wakeman