"Angry people are not always wise"

It's nice to switch it up a bit once in a while isn't it? I've not seen a play on stage since March (which was King Charles III), and so I guess it was about time. So earlier this week, I met up with my cousin for her first Manchester theatre experience to see the UK tour of Regents Park Open Air Theatre's production of Pride and Prejudice in Salford.
Originally adapted by Simon Reade in 2009, it was revived at Regents Park in 2013; and of course it was adapted from the much loved Jane Austen 1813 novel, which I am sure everyone is familiar with - and if not, go and either read the book or watch the BBC version NOW before going any further, I don't care if it's 6 hours!!!!!

Ok, if you are in the majority and know the story, we can now proceed.

First of all, I want to mention the set and lighting, headed up by Max Jones and Tina MacHugh respectively. The stage was set around a Les Mis style revolve, making the transitions from scene to scene so seamless; and the whole concept had a gorgeous vintage feel to it, which must have been incredible to have outside. Interestingly enough, the ending was the most gorgeous part as far as the technical elements were concerned, as they had lots of vintage style light bulbs come down from the ceiling - it was absolutely gorgeous and I have to commend the creative team for that.

As for the cast, Tafline Steen had a mountain to climb as our heroine Elizabeth - and she climbed it effortlessly, bringing together a perfect mix of headstrong spunk and youthful innocence (I had forgotten that Lizzie is only meant to be about 20, and Steen brought that across beautifully). Her counterpart, Benjamin Dilloway as Mr Darcy was also enjoyable to watch, as you could gradually see his cold exterior melting before our eyes. In the supporting cast, Steven Meo was charismatic-ally awkward as Mr Collins and the heads of the Bennet family were also a joy to watch. Matthew Kelly as Mr Bennet brought some hilarious dry wit to the piece, while Felicity Montagu as his wife was just how you would expect Mrs Bennet to be.

The problem comes in the fact that it was impossible to fit everything into a 2 and 1/2 hour piece (much the same with the 2005 film version), but I hope that doesn't put you off.
The whole cast of Pride and Prejudice bring the characters to life in a wonderfully fresh take; in fact, that's how I would describe the whole thing: fresh, charming, delightful and defiintely worth a watch. The Salford run finishes on Saturday, and then tours all over the country, so have a look. It also runs into 2017, which is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death.

Now if you excuse me, I am off to re-read the book - it's been too long!