Gay Pride And No Prejudice Review

Darcy (Michael Gillette) and Bingley (Noah Butt) are old friends, inseparable and deeply connected. As Jane Bennet (Sophie Bradley) falls for Bingley, they quickly take steps towards tying the knot. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Bennet (Sophie Bloor) is revolting against gender norms and binaries alongside Darcy. As both progress, the story takes a dramatic turn when Darcy and Bingley come to terms with their feelings for one another.

As a gen Z viewer, I felt that a lot of the script made very few nuanced arguments to the point where the writing felt lazy at times. There was an attempt at portraying a strong female character in the form of Elizabeth, yet when she is being booed off stage by rowdy men, it is Darcy who comes to the rescue and rewarded with her affection. It is disappointing to see her take on the fairytale role of the damsel in distress, letting Darcy swoop in and save her.

The storyline was mostly good fun, with Mrs Bennett (Marianne March) being a standout performance in lifting the atmosphere in the theatre. The ending of the play however was rather disappointing as it felt extremely rushed and quick to resolution. I would have liked to see more time spent on the blossoming of Bingley and Darcy’s relationship and how the two leading women came to terms with the loss of their romantic partners.

I can’t help but feel that this performance missed the mark for me, but I would recommend it for a bit of light-hearted period-drama fun.