MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLY Will Be Coming to the Long Beach Playhouse

"Welcome to the Pemberley Estate where the family is gathered for the Christmas holiday. There is joy, jealousy, love notes and juxtaposition of the Bennet sister's agendas. Mary Bennet yearns for her place in this world. Is it to be found in music, books or maps? Is it a solitary and invisible life to be hidden between pages and musical refrains? Will she ever find someone who understands her for what she truly is?" These are the words of Phyllis Gitlin, director of Miss Bennet: Christmas as Pemberley describing the storyline.

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley was conceived and composed by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon to increase the canon of holiday plays. It is a lively and delightful mash up of romance, familial bickering and a developing controversy over the practice of bringing live evergreen trees into the home as part of the holiday celebration.

"I love the holidays. And I am happy the Playhouse is helping our audiences feel the magic of the season," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "The set and costumes are romantic and traditional. When the audiences step into the theater they will feel like they just walked into the drawing room of a stately home in the English countryside. And I am certain they will walk out feeling festive and ready for holiday cheer."

"Lauren Gunderson specializes in strong female characters," said Sean Gray, Artistic Director for the Playhouse. "Her play, Silent Sky, was one of last season's favorites. Audiences will enjoy watching the bookish Mary Bennet come into her own."

The plays director, Phyllis Gitlin, describes Miss Bennet as a feminist addendum to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This is Gitlin's second time this year to direct a Gunderson play for the Playhouse. In April, she directed Silent Sky, also on the Mainstage. She brings the same focus on the emotional and intellectual aspects to the Bennet sisters as she did to the women who worked in Harvard's astronomy lab in Silent Sky.

The eight-member cast is a mix of returning favorites and debut performances. Making their debuts are: Gabi Jones, Briana Christine, Timothy Voytek, and Alicia Samuel. Returning actors are: Michael Kaye, Nori T. Schmidt, Micah Lee, and Sabrina Sonner.

The show opens November 2 and runs through November 30.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

Pay what you can Thursday October 31 - community can see this production for whatever they can afford

Two for One Preview Friday November 1 - Tickets are $10.00

Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on November 2 - Tickets are $27.00

TICKET PRICES

Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00

Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.

Photo Credit: Mike Hardy