REVIEW: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE *SORT OF Reimagines The Story Being Told By The People Austen Barely Considered
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE *SORT OF
Saturday 18th July 2026, 7pm, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Isobel Mcarthur’s Olivier Award Winning PRIDE AND PREJUDICE *SORT OF is a fantastically irreverent retelling of Jane Austen’s famous novel of manners. Directed by Simon Harvey, five servants of the grand houses take over the telling of the story with a contemporary twist of modern music, presented karaoke style.
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As explored in other adaptations, it is highly likely that Pride and Prejudice would have originally be presented as a spoken word performance by the author, either in public, or to family and friends. McArthur’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE *SORT OF acknowledges something that Austen’s work barely does in that she recognises the value of the servants in keeping the households in Austen’s stories running. From memory Austen only names Mrs Hill and Mrs Reynolds, the housekeepers at Longbourn and Pemberley though the status of the houses are benchmarked on how many servants employed. It is with this recognition of the workers and the work’s spoken word performance history that McArthur frames her adaptation, this time having servants from Longbourn, Netherfield Park, Hunsford vicarage, Rosings Park and Pemberley narrate and recreate the story. Amy Lehpamer, Kaori Maeda-Judge, Ruby Shannon, Teo Vergara and Zoe Ioannou present the maids from the houses while also doubling as Austen’s characters with a quick addition of a dress or jacket to cover the white cotton Regency petticoats and stays that are paired with contemporary Doc Martin boots. In addition to the storytelling, McArthur also incorporates the importance of music, song and dance to the 19th century society but gives it a contemporary twist with modern pop music, performed with the aid of a portable karaoke machine.
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Presented on a stage that honours the origins of the work as a significant piece of literature (set and costume design: Ana Inés Jabares-Pita), with a two storey tall bookcase and sweeping staircase that has books depicted under the steps, plus additional ‘stacks’ of books, the five performers express the story with quick changes of costumes that take them from the uniform white clad servant to the characters that most audiences would be more familiar with.
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Just as the work was a success when first staged in Glasgow in 2018, Harvey’s notes in the programme indicate it was only expected to have a two week run but went on to have a West End season and tour the UK, Canada and Cunard ships, it is evident that the Australian audiences have a similar appreciation of irreverent humour and observation of social structures that UK and Canadian audiences have. The quintet of performers have wonderful comic sensibilities that ensure that the work lands perfectly, breaking the fourth wall with larrikin ease and sending up the gentry with precision. While many in the audience would have been familiar with the source material before the show, McArthur’s adaptation and Harvey’s direction ensures that even those that haven’t read the novel or seen any of the countless big and small screen adaptations can follow along though a couple of the jokes are predicated on a knowledge of significant adaptations like the 1995 BBC 6 part miniseries. It also takes the source material and reinterprets a love story that few, if any, adaptors have done before with a quite plausible when really considered, queer twist that reinforces the vulnerability of women if they weren’t connected to a man that will provide them the financial and social security.
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The multi-talented performers deliver uniformly strong performances. As noted, they have great comic timing as well as the dramatic expression to balance the performances as parodies of the gentry while ensurng there is underlying sincerity in the emotion. They also bring great physical humour to the work along with strong vocals. In addition to this, the performers supplement the karaoke machine with performances on violin, piano, accordion and guitar.
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Whether you are well versed with Jane Austen’s classic novel or experiencing Pride and Prejudice for the first time, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE *SORT OF is a thoroughly enjoyable evening of theatre, celebrating women, presented by five fabulous young women. This is so much more than another retelling of the classic story. It is fresh and vibrant and thumbs its nose at the often staid and stuffy pretension that can surround works that are considered great literature.
Pride & Prejudice (sort of) | Australia
Pride & Prejudice (sort of) | Sydney Opera House
Photos: Prudence Upton
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