'Miss Bennet' a pleasant 'Pride and Prejudice' holiday sequel at Northlight
Is it really necessary to marry off the Bennet sisters left unattached at the end of Jane Austen's “Pride and Prejudice”? Apparently, the answer is “yes” for playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margo Melcon, who leap into the matchmaking fray for their world-premiere stage sequel “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” now at Northlight Theatre in Skokie.
This time, Mary (Emily Berman) gets to steal the spotlight from the 1813 novel's more famous Bennet sisters: headstrong Elizabeth (Samantha Beach), serenely beautiful Jane (Aila Peck) and scandalous Lydia (Jennifer Latimore).
Sulky sister Kitty and the sparring Bennet parents are only mentioned in passing and don't appear onstage. Meanwhile Mary's brothers-in-law - Jane's husband Charles Bingley (Tosin Morohunfola) and Elizabeth's Fitzwilliam Darcy (Alex Goodrich) - are relegated to supporting roles even though the play is set at Darcy's estate.
With so many of her sisters married, the musically inclined and bookishly dour Mary is resigned to a future alone, caring for her parents. But Gunderson and Melcon introduce a distant Darcy cousin named Arthur De Bourgh (Erik Hellman) as a suitor for Mary.
From the start, Mary and Arthur seem all-too similar - especially when compared to the original novel's smoldering love-hate courtship battles of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. And that's just one example of how the play lacks the tension and conflict of “Pride and Prejudice.”
The obstacles thrown in the way of Mary and Arthur's inevitable pairing come off as too meager. Among them are mixed-up missives involving the flirtatious Lydia in Act I and the jarring arrival of noblewoman Anne de Bourgh (a booming Bri Sudia), who insists Arthur is her betrothed.
But if audiences simply want another chance to spend time with beloved Austen characters, then “Miss Bennet” should fit the bill. Gunderson and Melcon provide enough period social manners to please history buffs of Britain's Regency era, especially the fun banter over appropriating the German custom of placing Christmas trees indoors.
Director Jessica Thebus also oversees solid performances from the ensemble, especially Hellman as the scientifically minded and socially awkward Arthur and Berman, who revels in Mary's forthright contrariness.
Thebus' production is also a visual delight, with gorgeous empire frocks (courtesy of costume designer Melissa Torchia) amid a grand country house interior (from set designers Rick and Jacqueline Penrod).
“Miss Bennet” won't set tongues wagging like the outrageous 2009 Austen spoof “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” or mystery novelist P.D. James' critically acclaimed 2011 sequel “Death Comes to Pemberley.” Rather, as an addition to the ever-growing list of Austen fan fiction, Northlight's “Miss Bennet” is a pleasant diversion.
“Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley”
★ ★ ½
Location: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300 or
Showtimes: 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday (no show Nov. 24), 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday (no evening show Dec. 24), 2:30 p.m. Sunday; also 7 p.m. Nov. 27 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29; through Dec. 24
Tickets: $30-$81
Running time: About two hours with intermission
Parking:Rating: For general audiences