Thursday, July 18, 2013

an evening with jane austen fans

I have the feeling that I would have appreciated the Guthrie Theater last night more if 1)  I had ever read the book Pride and Prejudice or 2)  I was a fan of the TV series Mad Men.

You see, the theater was packed with lots of people (mostly women) who had read Pride and Prejudice and loved Jane Austen novels in general.  Then there were other people who came to see Vincent Kartheiser, who plays a character in Mad Men, playing the prideful Mr. Darcy.

And this seems to be a beautiful stage production (adapted by playwright Simon Reade) of a 400+-page classic novel.  It's just that for a novice like me, it's hard to remember which of the five Bennet daughters is which and which guys you wish that each would end up with.  So, if you're going to see this play, put yourself in the proper category:  Austen fan, Mad Men fan, or confused and sometimes-bored stranger.

4 comments:

Kari said...

Austen fan here, and I was there on Wednesday night, too!

Kari said...

I enjoyed it a lot, although I could see how it might have been confusing to someone who wasn't familiar with the story- lots of plotlines condensed, SO many characters, etc.

Howard said...

Darn! I wish I would have seen you Wednesday night, Kari! The show was well done, as the Guthrie always does. I enjoyed, just as not as much as I would have if I would have been more familiar with the story,, I think....

Kari said...

My friend and I were sitting in the front rown near the ramp where many of the characters made entrances and exits, and, at times, were within spitting range of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. I forget how much those actors have to annunciate and project their voices! Glad you're enjoying Amsterdam.