David Kerby-Kendall Interview
Green Room Reviews caught up with David Kerby-Kendall, writer of Gay Pride And No Prejudice, running at the Union Theatre between 8th October – 2nd November 2024.
Q. David, can you tell us when you first started working on the play and what the journey has been so far?
A. I first began working on the play toward the end of 2022. I had previously adapted Pride and Prejudice and found myself loving Jane Austen’s arid wit and the aspirations of her beautifully drawn characters (I first read the novel for A Levels and, as a 17 year old, thought it was just about ladies sitting on chairs discussing what chairs they were going to sit on next. I’ve grown up a tad since then…only a tad, obviously!). I suddenly decided that I wanted to explore the hidden side of Lizzie, Jane, Darcy, Bingley and Mr & Mrs Bennet; what was really happening under the surface veneer. Darcy and Bingley had been so close for such a long time; what did they really feel for each other? Lizzie spoke her mind, even when a lady (at the time) should have remained quiet; what did she really want women to achieve? The lovely Jane accepted her place at the bottom of society because she was female; what would happen if her all her pent-up emotions were forced to the surface? As I began to write the script, I discovered more and more depths to each character, more hidden corners to their characters, more ways that these weaknesses and fallibilities and true feelings could eventually come together and implode. It’s been a fabulous journey. I’ve got to know them (and love them) and realised that it’s our weaknesses (and how we overcome them) that define us.
Q. You describe your work as “very loosely based on the novel by Jane Austen”. Can you expand on the similarities and differences between the original story and your new play?
A. The reason that it’s ‘loosely’ based on the original is that, on the one hand, we keep some of the original characters (Darcy, Bingley, Lizzie, Jane and Mr & Mrs Bennet) and, to an extent, the ethos of those characters; their place in society, their dreams of love and a ‘perfect future’ and, most importantly, the era in which Austen’s fabulous novel is set. On the other hand, I’ve given them new ‘reasons to get up in the morning’ which compare and contrast life as it was in the early nineteenth century to modern day: Lizzie’s quest for women’s equality, Darcy and Bingley’s unspoken love for each other, Mr Bennet’s liberalism and boyishness, and people meekly accepting the laws laid down by politicians, religious leaders and, generally, bigoted men of a certain age.
Q. Having been lucky enough to grab a sneaky peak at the script, I can see the play is very funny but within the story you highlight some important themes. What are those themes and how does the script explore them?
A. I wanted the play to be peppered with comedy. For several reasons: it highlights the serious and darker aspects of the play; also, we have always used humour to cope with difficult situations and as a defence mechanism (an obvious example being gay men before the legalisation of homosexuality…and, indeed, after it); and, of course, I would like our lovely audiences to be entertained and leave the theatre feeling that they’ve had a great time. Humour is a massive release valve and it does us all the world of good to have a good giggle whenever we can! Two of the serious themes are the suppression of women and the ostracising and criminalising of gay men. Most people in the early nineteenth century simply accepted the status quo as it had been for centuries. What I wanted to show was the ripples of a sea-change and the seeds of a few beginning to question the origins and fairness of these restrictive ideologies (and who created these rules and attitudes in the first place?). So I set the play in Austen’s world (with a nod to 19th century language and phrasing) and compared the suppression of the time to the comparative freedoms that we have now. Lizzie wants men to take their wife’s surname and, horror of horrors, to have a female Prime Minister! Darcy and Bingley discuss what it would be like if gay men could get married. It seems an impossible dream, and I hope that the audience can ‘live’ their struggles and feel as though they are in their world watching their internal fight to admit to their love for each other. All this goes hand in hand with society being fractured: class, money, religion, gender, sexuality. People never ventured out of their safe zone and therefore, anyone who was ‘different’ to them automatically became an enemy. I wanted the play to show that, when people from disparate sections of society actually talk and understand each other, these barriers melt away.
Q. As well as writer, you’re cast as Mr. Bennet who delivers many of the comedic lines in the piece. It must be hugely satisfying being able to appear in your own play. What are you looking forward to the most about playing Mr. Bennet?
A. I can’t wait to play Mr Bennet! For a start, I’ve given him some of the best gag lines, including some dry put-downs to Mrs Bennet. However, the main reason is that I’ve also given him a backstory, including an unexpected past. He’s not just the ‘father figure’, he’s very much still a boy in an adult’s body (he’s a shining example of how us guys only pretend to grow up). He also has a lovely relationship with Jane and, especially, Lizzie, to whom he is more of a ‘mate’. There’s a lot more layers to him and I can’t wait to bring these out during rehearsals.
Q. As an actor you’ve worked in theatre and television and recently made your Netflix debut playing Judge Angel in The Crown. It was Netflix’s biggest-ever winner at the Emmys, winning 21 awards out of 69 nominations. What was it like to work on such a successful show?
A. I was utterly thrilled (and honoured) to be cast as Judge Angel in The Crown. The whole experience was a tad surreal. It’s such a huge show, and I had been a big fan from the outset. To go from watching the show at home to being on the set and becoming an actual part of it was magical. I expected everything to be rather formal and serious, but I was pleased to find out that everyone was welcoming, warm and friendly. Hugely professional, of course, and masters of their crafts, but no pressure was put on anyone. It was, if you like, the epitome of how it takes every single department working together in complete harmony to produce something so good. I loved it!
Q. You’re running for four weeks at the Union throughout October and early November. Where would you like to see the production go next?
A. I’m really looking forward to the run at the Union Theatre. It’s a lovely theatre with a fabulous reputation and it’s the perfect place to start the play’s journey. Of course, I would love to have a West End transfer, but it would also be great to tour it. Basically, I would like as many people as possible to see it, live every minute of the characters’ journeys, have a lot of laughs (and maybe a couple of tears) and to see how the play highlights the fact that we are all individuals, that labelling people only creates division, and that all of us are fighting our way through life, and that understanding, empathy and the occasional hug would help us all.
Q. What other writing projects do you have in development?
A. I’m currently doing rewrites on a new play called Dancing in Time, about an unexpected friendship between two very different guys in prison. I’m also co-writing a play (for the first time) with a friend about an imagined conversation between two huge gay icons, and I’m working on a TV series (which I have to keep secret….Sorry!).
Rhea Shepherd
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