Pride and Prejudice
- Richard Evans
- Jul 12
- 2 min read
Jane Austen, adap Deborah McAndrew
Storyhouse
Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester
July 12-August 31, 2025; 2hrs
Grosvenor Open Air Theatre must be one of the most appealing summer venues. On a warm summer evening, the intimate, subtitled theatre-in-the-round offers the chance to share a summer picnic and a cool drink while watching live theatre. Lovely.
The choice of play is hard to beat too. Deborah McAndrew's adaptation of Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice has been revived to mark the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth.
The show certainly leaves the audience with a feelgood factor, and this is hardly surprising given that it has already been a hit, at its first outing in 2021. The story is full of dry humour, acute observation and a well-telegraphed happy ending that can't fail to leave the audience smiling.
The only foreseeable problem is that the open air theatre has a reputation for excellent audience interaction and slapstick comedy, which might be at odds with the subtler humour of Austen’s story.
The production - directed by Conrad Nelson - manages to capture the intelligent, yet slightly downtrodden, nature of young women seen to be approaching spinsterhood because they won't settle for a husband who fails to recognise their personal qualities and goes for their appearance and fortune. There is a marked contrast between that group and those slightly younger women dazzled by the prospect of attending balls in becoming gowns, hoping to catch the eye of soldiers in their scarlet uniform. This is entirely in keeping with Austen’s social commentary, expressing frustration over the need for a woman to be married to have any sort of security and purpose in life, rather than being valued for her distinctive personal qualities.
For me, the pick of the cast here is Victoria Brazier as Mrs Bennett, wonderfully excitable and obsessed with marrying-off her five daughters. She is closely followed by Jessica Jolleys as Lydia, the flirty, air-headed youngest sister.
The two leads, Ethan Reid as Darcy and Alyce Liburd as Lizzie, are very good, but at the start Lizzie needs more poise and equanimity and Darcy more gravitas and disdain. They come alive with the conflict caused by Darcy’s initial proposal.
The music adds considerably to the production, with folk songs capturing attitudes from the Regency period as well as alluding to the personal experience of some of the characters.
As ever with Grosvenor Open Air Theatre, there is a lovely excitable atmosphere with a close connection between cast and audience throughout.
There is much to enjoy about this Pride and Prejudice, and the experience of open air theatre in the round is a great one, making this a thoroughly enjoyable night's entertainment.
More info and tickets here
