Pride & Prejudice (sort of) Mayflower Theatre Southampton Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by  Z Bonds

Pride and Prejudice (sort of) arrived for its opening night at the beautiful Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, presented by The Newcastle Theatre Royal Production. In London’s West End, it has already won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Variety called it ‘Riotously funny…gloriously entertaining…frankly sensational’

Isobel McArthur’s play adaptation has been cleverly written and is masterfully performed on stage by a fantastic group of actors. The full cast of Emma Rose Creaner, Eleanor Kane, Rhianna McGeevy, Naomi Preston Low, Christine Steel, Susie Barrett, Isobel Donkin and Georgia May Firth showed incredible versatility in their range of character representations and with perfect timing and precision. They also did a fabulous job of maintaining each of their multiple roles with ease. The role of servant vs noblemen/ladies was quickly interchanged and adeptly so. Emily Jane Boyle’s choreography is dynamic and fits perfectly into the cheeky, yet super slick organisation.

An understated, yet stylish set, allowed plenty of scope for the imagination, yet the impression of being in a stately home, with a piano tucked neatly under the stairs. Small adaptations in the form of carefully placed props interchanged the location smoothly. Equally, character changes were signposted effectively by simple adaptations to existing attire making the transitions quick and effortless.

Modern inserts into the otherwise period set created amusing feature points within the story. A favourite feature for me were the letter monologues (a character reading aloud their letter to another character) evoking great emotive scenes.

Teamwork was hugely evident in this all-female cast, with the casting roles being played in such a manner as to keep the viewer continually guessing. The audience were totally engaged and enthralled from the outset; with us all being made to feel very much a part of the show.

Musical interludes also provided great opportunities to reminisce and enjoy an eclectic range of tunes we all know and love in a context we’d never expect to hear them in! Additional instrumental accompaniment was also enjoyed in the form of piano, glockenspiel, guitar, recorder and even some very energetic tambourine too.

The rapturous applause and standing ovation in the finale proved that we were not alone in loving this play from start to finish. I would rate this production a fabulous 5/5. It was a great evening of entertainment and we loved the ‘girl power’ and strong women themes that shone through from start to finish. There was a real feel-good factor and we laughed a great deal!

After an initial production in Scotland in 2018 and a tour in 2019–20, the play opened in the West End in 2021. It has since been delighting audiences around the country on tour in 2025.

Rating: 5/5

Pride and Prejudice (sort of) continues to run at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton until Saturday 14th June 2025. Some tickets are still available at Mayflower Box Office on 02380 711811 or by visiting www.mayflower.org.uk

Tickets are available from £10.

This show is suitable for children age 12+ and contains some strong language. The running time of the show is approximately 2 hr 20 mins including an interval.