Playwright: adapted by James Maxwell from the novel by Jane Austen
At: Northlight Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing
Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie
Phone: ( 847 ) 673-6300; $34-$54
Runs through: Nov. 20
At a time when statesmen are calling for an investigation into the economical contradictions of our so-called 'classless' society, what could be more appropriate than Jane Austen's parable on the folly of allowing human values to be circumvented by narrow-minded snobbery and hearsay?
To be sure, the poverty in Austen's fable is of the genteel rather than the destitute sort. The Bennet family lives comfortably, if frugally, in their country home. But beneath the filial contentment lurks the threat of eviction upon the death of the paterfamilias, this being 1797 when women were legally forbidden to inherit property, making marriage a mandatory career move for the five Bennet daughters. Austen's narrative presents us examples of those who opt for security without love, and love with no security, and concludes both to be equally misguided. Only after rejecting the artificial obstacles constructed by their society, and acting upon their own emotional AND rational sensibilities, do her outspoken heroine and reticent hero consummate their alliance.
Peter Amster's extensive experience at directing musicals has given him a keen eye for panoramic stage pictures, and his conductor's hand is apparent in this Northlight production. Even clocking in at a marathon two hours-45 minutes, the pace of the dramatic action never loses its momentum even during such inert physical activity as reading letters or contemplating portraits ( note the clever use of Richard and Jacqueline Penrod's scenic design in suggesting the latter ) . Matt Harding's dialect coaching and Gail Brassard's costumes render the nuances of each character's circumstances immediately apparent—the tyrannical Lady Catherine's wardrobe would well become a Mandarin Empress—while Andrew Hopson's cleverly-selected music slyly foreshadows the complications to come.
At the vanguard of a precision-drilled cast are Carey Cannon as the forthright Elizabeth Bennet and Nick Sandys as the laconic Henry Darcy, swapping repartee with the dazzling swiftness of fencing masters. But while the romance in this satirical comedy-of-manners ( the prototype for Georgette Heyer et al. ) drives the story, its commentary on the struggle for personal fulfillment in a severely circumscribed universe provides a lesson to be heeded today.