Romantic comedies are always in season as far as I’m concerned, but the holidays create a particular yearning for the sweeter side of life, and the SBCC drama department’s current production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley fits the bill quite nicely.
The post–Pride and Prejudice tale by Lauren Gunderson (this time with Margot Melcon), whose popular literary-leaning plays have been performed locally by both Ensemble Theatre and PCPA, follows the story of Mary Bennet (Yildiz Soyal), the booksmart, somewhat dorky younger sister of Lizzy Bennet (Piper Steen), who is now married to Fitzwilliam Darcy (Zachary Johnson).
The action takes place at Pemberley, the elegant Darcy estate, where Lizzy hosts the family for the holidays. SBCC productions are consistently visually impressive, and scenic & lighting designer Patricia L. Frank and her team of students do a wonderful job of bringing Darcy’s drawing room to life. There’s even a fun running joke about Lizzy bringing in a Christmas tree — a German tradition that most of the Brits don’t seem to get yet — that gradually gets more and more trimmings and decorations as the show progresses.
Not surprisingly, there’s a sweet yuletide romance in store for Mary and young Arthur De Bourgh (Tristan Fleming), who is also bookish, socially awkward, and a match made in heaven for the youngest Bennet daughter. The two actors have excellent chemistry and are quite convincingly both socially awkward and whipsmart when it comes to many things, but not each other. As we know, the course of true love never runs quite smoothly, and fun hijinks ensue as Mary’s sister Lydia (Josephine Brooks) tries to flirt with Arthur and then yet another obstacle is thrown in their way with a plot twist I won’t give away for those who have yet to see the show.
It’s a great love letter to Jane Austen and the spirit of the holiday season. If you’re in the mood for some warm and fuzzy fun, I would definitely recommend an audience with Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.
Christmas at Pemberley is a student showcase produced by the SBCC drama department and directed by Katie Laris. The show runs at the Jurkowitz Theatre through November 22. See https://bit.ly/4o8NRrA for more information and tickets.
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