Pride and Prejudice at HCTO

I am a huge fan of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is one of my very favorite novels so I was really excited to see a production of it at HCTO yesterday!  I loved everything about it!  First, I cannot say enough about the brilliant adaptation by Melissa Leilani Larson.  As someone who has read the novel countless times and even studied it in college (I took a class focused on the novels of Jane Austen and it was my favorite one in college), I think it is perfect.  Obviously not everything can be included in an adaptation (except for maybe the A&E version starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle) but I think this one captures the essence of the novel in a way that feels very fresh and new without sacrificing any of my favorite lines of dialogue.  There is even a hilarious spoof of the well-known opening sentence about a single man in possession a fortune being in want of a wife that made the audience laugh out loud!  I even enjoyed a very subtle difference from the source material (which almost never happens with me because I am a purist) in which Mary displays an infatuation for Mr. Collins because it seems like an organic extension of the character as written in the text.  Next, the performances are wonderful!  One of the things I love about the novel is that the characters are so well delineated and every member of the cast is perfect for their role, especially Madeleine McBeth because she is intelligent and quick-witted as Elizabeth, Sasha Fazulyanov because she is reserved and gentle as Jane, Bronson Dameron because he is arrogant and aloof as Mr. Darcy, and Parley Lambert because he is pleasant and a bit awkward as Mr. Bingley.  However, Bradley Mackay steals every scene he is in as Mr. Collins!  His reaction to Mr. Wickham when he is out with the Bennett sisters is hilarious and his proposal to Elizabeth had me (and the audience) in hysterics!  Finally, I loved the staging (especially both dances at the Netherfield ball because the choreography emphasizes every character's personality so well), the minimal set in which chairs are moved into various configurations by the actors, and the beautiful Regency costumes.  I enjoyed this so much and I wish that I had time to see it again!  It runs through February 11 and tickets may be purchased here.