Jane Austen Extravaganza by Sheila Johnson

 

I have just finished reading this book, listed as a bestseller. It was very well written and in an 'Austen' style. My only complaint was that it painted the character of Cassandra, sorting through Jane's letters after her death, as a very quiet rather uninteresting character with an unhealthy relationship with her sister. As for Jane, she came across as rather crotchety and at times, rude and pointed in her remarks, not the witty, clever judge of human character. Although, with her research, maybe Gill paints the duo correctly. I do hope not. 

This lady, Isobel McArthur, actor and playwright, has a completely different more light-hearted approach, at least to one of Jane's books, Pride and Prejudice with her play - Pride and Prejudice (sort of)', Described by the Sunday Times as "a raucously irreverent romp," my husband and I visited our local theatre this weekend to make our own judgement. The play which won the Best Comedy Award is assured by Isobel, to be very true to the novel which is she says, "so witty and funny." This version is, told by the servants and underscored by karaoke, with the story punctuated by modern pop songs.

However, it turned out to be not quite what I was expecting. Firstly, not only told from the viewpoint of the servants as narrators, but these same five women took all the parts! Just as in Shakespeare's day all the parts were taken by men, this was the reverse, with Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley and Mr Collins all played by one of the women with a quick costume change - interesting. Isobel McArthur explains this as being because Pride and Prejudice is largely a woman's story.

It was very funny in places but I struggled a bit with too much bad language, which was a pity. It would have been funny without it yet it is still worth a visit to see. The five actresses were certainly both musical and flexible.

Sheila Johnson lives in Cheltenham and is a qualified journalist who has written for a number of publications both local and national. She has also written two books under her pen name Sheila Donald, Alpha Male and Waireka. Her website can be found at www.journojohnson.com