Review: Experience the Magic of Christmas with GEORGIANA AND KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Capital Stage

Who doesn’t love a great sequel? We all do, as evidenced by the popularity of franchises such as Scream and National Lampoon’s Vacation series. Even re-imagined backstories of classics, like Wicked, have seen incredible success. When we find characters that resonate with us, we are loath to give them up. This is why you’ll need to hurry to get tickets for Capital Stage’s holiday offering, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Georgiana and Kitty is the third in a trilogy of works by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon that imagine the lives of the Bennet sisters after Pride and Prejudice.

Georgiana and Kitty focuses on two of the minor characters from Pride and Prejudice. Georgiana Darcy is the shy, musically gifted younger sister of Fitzwilliam Darcy. His insistence on looking out for her has saved her in the past; notably from the clutches of the social-climbing George Wickham. Now, however, Georgiana is grown and finding her place in the male-dominated world of music and has invited fellow music lover, Henry Grey, to Pemberley for Christmas. He brings his friend, Thomas O’Brien, in whom Georgiana's best friend, Kitty Bennet, takes an interest. Romance abounds as the two couples fall in love, with Henry encouraging Georgiana’s musical aspirations. The only obstacle to Georgiana’s happiness is her brother, who isn’t willing to give up his control over her life. Despite the warning from his wife, Lizzy, that he will lose his sister if he doesn’t give her freedom, he persists in insisting he knows what is best for Georgiana’s life. What follows is a lesson in staying true to oneself and a testament to the powerful things that women can accomplish.

With a phenomenal cast backing up this delightful holiday tale, it’s no wonder that performances have been selling out. One of my favorite local actors, Brittni Barger, has returned to reprise her role of Elizabeth Darcy. She brings a charmingly playful aspect to a character that is admirable for her strength and uncompromising loyalty to her loved ones. Kriston Woodreaux has also returned to Capital Stage as her husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Powerful, protective, and unabashedly chauvinistic, Woodreaux paints a formidable figure and fits Darcy’s hard-to-fill shoes quite well. A character that was featured in an earlier play of the trilogy is Mary Bennet, the bookish sister who generally does not get enough of a mention. She is my favorite in this show, played with brilliant sarcasm and deadpan humor by Elyse Sharp, who I will be looking to watch in the future. Megan Wicks is the titular character, Georgiana, whose courage to break free of societal expectations sets the tone of liberation and triumph that moves the show from Regency stuffiness to supercharged feminist power.

Beautiful period costumes by Gail Russell lend an air of sophistication to accompany the elegant scenic design by Eric Broadwater. The Regency era, even if just on stage, is a fun place to visit in today’s hectic world. The welcome manners clash with outdated gender roles in a deceptively genteel setting, where it’s pure entertainment to watch insults being hurled with formal language and a smile. While Georgiana and Kitty is the last of the trilogy, it stands alone well, and audiences should have no problem following the latest saga of the Bennet sisters. It perfectly captures the warmth of the holiday season and the healing power of forgiveness while reminding us that what matters the most are the relationships we cultivate with family and friends. This amusing, empowering, and elegant holiday tale is one that I wouldn’t mind revisiting year after year.

New shows have been added and Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley has been extended through December 31. More information and tickets may be found online at Capstage.org, by telephone at (916) 995-5464, or in person at the Box Office at 2215 J Street in Sacramento.

Photo credit: Charr Crail

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