Gay Pride and No Prejudice
This witty, whimsical and wholesome reimagination of Austin's classic places a magnifying glass over society.
Homosexual love and powerful women are as much a thing of the past as it is a futuristic dream. Boudicca used to rule and Spartans were polyamorous pansexuals, yet in 1800 England women are knitting socks by fires and gay men are married to women.
David Kerby-Kendall's new play Gay Pride and No Prejudice is a thoughtful reimagining that asks the question: did we know the full story?
Kerby-Kendall's dialogue is a dram of whiskey on a cold evening. It's a welcome warmth while knowing you paid for something aged. Maintaining some level of Austinism and Bridgertonesque glamour, audiences were welcomed into conversation and not alienated by jargon. Kerby-Kendall has created a play that explores the original Austen text and provides a fresh look on the classic. That said, it's always interesting when existing work is recreated with a modern twist rather than creating new modern stories. While some discussions of the "unfortunate" homosexual in the town. While much of this dialogue was relevant to the original text, it felt out of place and unnecessary in 2024. While it does highlight how little has changed since the 1800's it could have utilised some modern examples to hit the message home more.
Writer David Kerby-Kendall also takes to the stage as Mr Bennett and commandeers the majority of the comedy. His delivery of one liners was initially unexpected, however the character works well as a direct comparison to the fantastically eccentric Mrs Bennett played by Marianne March. Together these two create breath that flows through their scenes. Particularly as a stereotypical older married couple, Kerby-Kendall has a glint in his eye and a foot firmly planted in his youth which was encouraging to see. Some may even say his lasting look sets up a sequel?
All this said, this play is somewhat squandered by the limits of the Union Theatre. Director Luke Fredericks utilises the space well however it is a shame that the series of furniture comprising the set becomes clunky during scene changes. Contrary to the subject matter, it feels tokenistic to move the layout of the furniture to indicate a new scene as that's what society expects. However there are a plethora of ways in which this could have been achieved. Unfortunately another sound design was abrupt with music blaring during a scene change and then suddenly stopping. It would appear The Union are yet to invest in a volume dial to fade music in and out. Another missed investment was the lack of microphones. Particularly in a venue with tubes rattling by and a loud air conditioning unit, a lot of lines were lost to the ambient noise of the theatre. This was made worse when some scenes were scored, an interesting choice considering the lack of microphones to drown out the dialogue.
The walls however were cleverly used not only as part of the set but as a great lighting device by designer George Sellis who used the canvas of the walls as an expression of the scene. Particularly utilising rainbow colours to highlight scenes was a lovely touch.
A lot of the plays charm came from a great cast and their delivery. Sophie Bradley is a wonderful Jane who is prim and proper in all the right ways. Sophie Bloor almost sulks around as the second best sister who absolutely ends up being right all along. Showcasing a wide range of emotion and great timing was Michael Gillette as the iconic Mr Darcy with his closeted love affair with Noah Butt's Bingley.
Ultimately this is a wholesome love story with great twists on classic characters for all to see. Gay Pride and No Prejudice is a delightful new play which deserves to be staged.
This show was reviewed on the 10th October 2024 at the Union Theatre, London where the show runs until the 2nd November 2024. Tickets available here: Gay Pride and no Prejudice | Union Theatre
Review written by Ryan Lenney
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Photo credit: Lucy Nixon
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