David Pugh’s West End presentation of Pride & Prejudice* (*Sort Of), a new play with a jukebox score, has received generally favorable reviews from London theater critics. The show, adapted from Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, premiered at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre in 2018 and opened last night at London’s Criterion Theatre. The creative team includes Isobel McArthur (book, direction), Simon Harvey (direction), Ana Inés Jabares-Pita (sets, costumes), Colin Grenfell (lights), Joe Houben (comedy staging), Emily Jane Boyle (choreography), and Michael John McCarthy and Luke Swaffield (musical supervision, sound). The cast, all from the original 2018 production, includes Tori Burgess ( Mr. Collins), Christina Gordon (Lady Catherine de Bourgh / Jane), Hannah Jarrett-Scott (Charlotte / Charles Bingley), Isobel McArthur (Mrs. Bennet), Meghan Tyler (Lizzie Bennet). Below is the show’s promo video, “Crosswalk the Musical (Sort Of),” complete with James Corden lookalike.
Arts Desk (Laura De Lisle): It’s a skirt-swishing, toe-tapping delight. … In this version, Meryton Ball is a Year 11 disco, complete with cheesy spinning lights and a karaoke machine. … The five-strong cast show incredible range, playing five instruments between them. … Like all the best productions, this one is built out of love. McArthur’s affection for her source material shines through in every line. … Jane would be proud. 5 out of 5 stars.
Evening Standard (Jessie Thompson): This sweary, anarchic reboot of Pride and Prejudice by Scottish writer Isobel McArthur, in which an all-female cast of five play all of the characters, pretty much nails it. It’s a joy whether you’re a paid-up Janeite or not. … This must be the hardest working cast in the West End, with each of the five constantly jumping into new characters, spinning out of costumes and picking up musical instruments. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Guardian (Arifa Akbar): The British public never tires of re-treading Jane Austen’s classic. … But a musical version in which the entire cast is played by five women posing as jaunty “below stairs” staff? And with hen-night karaoke hits added to the mix? … However inconceivable a production it sounds, with its karaoke numbers and its silliness, it creates something new and joyous from the old. 4 out of 5 stars.
iNews (Sam Marlowe): Bonnets, breeches, tinkling teacups: these are the clutter of the average Jane Austen stage adaptation. None of that stuffiness here. Instead, this exuberant, freewheeling karaoke version … gets straight to the novel’s romcom heart. … It’s a madcap riot with serious brains beneath its silliness. It’s touching, too, with moments of sisterly devotion and passionate sincerity. … Austen turbocharged with joyous theatrical audacity. 4 out of 5 stars.
London Theatre (Marianka Swain): Its irreverent merriness is definitely a welcome addition to the West End, and makes for a fun night out. … It’s admirably accessible, and McArthur and Simon Harvey’s energetic production is very engaging. … The show really flies when it embraces that music hall risk-taking spirit and joyful freshness. … Now, it’s up to audiences to decide whether they need more Austen in their lives and if this production earns her triumphant happy ending. 3 out of 5 stars.
Time Out London (Andrzej Lukowski): MacArthur and Simon Harvey’s production sandblasts off the Georgian niceties and lets the characters get in touch with their ids. … Stretched out over two-and-a-half hours it does wear itself thin. … But it is an awful lot of fun, a naughty-but-nice celebration of Austen’s classic that could easily find itself shacked up at the Criterion Theatre for years to come. 3 out of 5 stars.
Variety (David Bendict): Adding karaoke to the 19th century’s blueprint rom-com may sound like a translation too far but the shocking truth of Isobel McArthur’s smart, riotously funny five-woman adaptation … is how faithful it is to Austen while being gloriously entertaining. As sharp-eyed as it is seemingly silly, McArthur’s play-with-songs mirrors Austen by maintaining a shrewd 21st century perspective on the well-told tale.