Gay Pride And No Prejudice

The Union Theatre • 8 Oct – 2 Nov 2024

It would seem there is not only a trend for producing queer re-tellings of popular/classic stories at the moment, but also for their titles to leave little ambiguity as to the play’s direction of travel. Case in point is ‘Gay Pride and No Prejudice’, written by David Kerby-Kendall, that comes hot on the heals of the recently seen ‘The Mad Gay King’.

As I took to my seat I found myself desperately trying to recall my ‘A’ level reading of the original Jane Austen book, (and failing miserably), whilst simultaneously realising I had also somehow managed to circumnavigate my post-educational life, successfully, (although unintentionally), avoiding the myriad of TV and Film adaptations that have proliferated since… (their currently being at least 17 such productions according to IMDB). So it was that I found myself approaching tonights play without the weight of Austen’s words to encourage me to make endless comparisons to the original text during the performance. However, as if by a method of cultural osmosis I found I still knew enough about the story to have a modicum of a grasp about the origins of this queer reworking, (having also been guilty of uttering the words, “Oh, Mr Darcy!”, on more than one occasion).

The first half of the play introduces characters that will no doubt be more than familiar to anyone who has a better working knowledge of the book than me, and who will also recognise the path being initially mapped out as being much the same, as we find the wise but long suffering Mr Bennett (David Kerby-Kendall) unable to do anything other than capitulate to his wife’s scheme for getting at least one of their daughters married into wealth and status having heard that a handsome young stranger, Mr Bingley (Noah Butt) has taken up residence nearby. Lizzie Bennett (Sophie Bloor), is the prime candidate given it would also seem to be her own prime objective in life, with a strong desire to become the wife to a dashing young man and all the traditional duties that implies, (bare in mind this is all set in the 19th Century).

The same can’t be said for her sister Jane however, (Sophie Bradley), who is more occupied with becoming a very vocal and visible campaigner for gender equality. As a result, whilst she finds herself repeatedly in the same sphere as Mr. Bingley’s friend and childhood companion Mr Darcy (Michael Gillette) she also finds herself constantly clashing horns with him, and whilst it might at first appear that it is her deeply held feminist views that prevents this second tryst from gaining momentum, all is not as it may seem as, for many years, Darcy has only had eyes for Bingley, who in turn seems completely unaware of his friends feelings towards him, and whilst it slowly becomes apparent that Bingley may well be suppressing his own unexplored emotions for Darcy in order to create the infinitely more socially acceptable partnership with Jane, it is not until we get halfway through this 105 minute play that Bingley finds the courage to place a tentative hand on Darcy’s leg for a highly dramatic end to the first half.

Unfortunately, herein lay one of my issues with Kirby-Kendall’s play, given just how long we have to wait before Bingley registers his feelings for Darcy, never mind actually showing them, for up until this point the play could just as easily have been called ‘All Prejudice And No Gay Pride’. There’s no denying the moment makes for a dramatic intermission cliffhanger, and there is genuine sense of excitement in seeing how this simple gesture will impact on the relationships thus formed going forward, but the set-up in the first act feels unnecessarily long, and with a second equally good cliffhanger not to far into the second half, (no spoilers), the events leading up to this point might have worked better with a bit of judicious tightening, especially as the audience is under no illusion about what is coming, given it’s all pretty much given away in the play’s title anyway.

As it stands, the second half is where we find the bigger and bolder statements being made about Bingley and Darcy’s plight, and having recognised the precarious situation they now find themselves in, they try to find a way to negotiate a relationship that must remain a secret from all those around them. In unravelling the situation they now find themselves in, it becomes genuinely moving to be reminded that, for so many years all gay men will have found themselves in a similar position to Darcy and Bingly, (albeit not as privileged), whose love will have similarly remained a clandestine affair for fear of the repercussions of being found out, and so it is joyous, yet more than a little surprising, to witness the positive reaction from the whole Bennett family, and whilst I can only assume this would have been more the exception (if also a little far-fetched) than the norm in the 1800’s, it is still gives the play an uplifting twist for the last act.

Despite any misgivings there is a lot to like about this production once Kirby-Kendall’s take on the original really hits it’s stride, and even in the first half, some hilariously witty one liners, most of which are delivered by Kirby-Kendal himself in the role of Mr Bennet, (think the late-great Geoffrey Palmer at his phlegmatic best) keeps this an entertaining watch throughout. His perfectly measured low-key performance is in marked contrast to Mrs Bennett, Marianne March giving an explosively manic performance that is equally as entertaining and gives us an instant sympathy for her long suffering husbands demeanour. “Mrs Bennet and I were deliriously happy for 18 years”, Mr Bennet declares… “and then we met!”

There is also the occasional, cheekily placed reference to more contemporary culture, some of which work better than others, such as a suitably baroque version of Rhianna’s ‘We Found Love In A Hopeless Place’, which is a cleverly inserted Easter Egg that underscores the opening and closing of this production, although a slightly clumsier, thinly veiled ‘Love Island’ reference unfortunately only serves to shatter the illusion of the 19th Century setting. For this reviewer however, such missteps pale into insignificance compared to director Luke Fredericks creative decision to have the actors pour imaginary drinks from empty bottles, (or crystal glass decanters in this case) resulting in empty glasses that the characters must then pretend to drink from… and there is a lot of pouring and drinking in this play. Whilst it’s not the first time I have seen this, it is a personal pet-peeve of mine that I have never understood, given it leaves the whole production with a feint whiff of ‘am-dram’, which is more than unfortunate given the quality of the acting talent on stage, (and ultimately so easily remedied by the addition of some water and a drop of food colouring).

Though I found Kerby-Kendall’s writing to be a little uneven, as an actor he is rock solid, and his portrayal of Mr Bennett is definitely one of the plays highlights. That said, I’d actually be hard pushed to find fault in any of the performances, despite a slight issue with Michael Gillettes projection at times given this production is un-miked which rendered his contemplative and soft delivery of the short opening scene almost inaudible. This is a well cast production however, with all the actors ultimately feeling perfectly matched to their respective roles. Complimented by Bob Sterrett’s staging and George Ellis’s lighting Gay Pride And No Prejudice is an entertaining production in need of a little bit of tinkering under the bonnet in order to realise it’s full potential. .

★★★

review: Simon J. Webb

photography: Lucy Nixon