Mr Bennet's Bride

What a delightful choice of play for the moment.  With the issue of the new £10 note, the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death; this play, given its UK premier by the Grassington players, was written by Emma Wood as a prequel  to the very popular Pride and Prejudice.

The time, approximately 25 years before the great love story of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, this is the story of the meeting and subsequent marriage of Mr James Bennett (her father) and Miss Emily Gardiner (her delightfully dizzy mother).   Set in two locations, the elegant estate of Longbourne, owned by Robert Bennett and the slightly lower class home of George Gardiner, Mr Bennett’s Attorney at Law, the players did well on the small stage with very interesting, simply but effectively painted scenery which was easily turned and relocated according to its setting.  The set changes were a pleasure to watch with its choreographed, costumed back stage helpers,  furniture repositioned and cushioned in accordance with its colour scheme and good costumes throughout all made for a very believable story.

James’ mother, having died in childbirth, had not been able to give the motherly love necessary for a normal upbringing and Robert, filled with grief at her loss had become introverted and disinterested with his son.  Now the time has come to think about an heir for his estate and Robert draws up a contract for his son’s marriage.  James, so far left much to his own devices, has become a rather shy, upperclass gentleman interested only his own plans and in reading, but on one thing he is certain and that is that he will choses his own bride, who must be very attractive and pretty and not one that his family choose because of her station in life.

By chance James meets Emily and the attraction of both of them is instantaneous.  The Gardiners are delighted with and encourage the situation; the Bennets are kept in blissful ignorance until a cousin arrives at Longbourn obviously interested in his newly born son becoming the  future owner of the estate if James does not marry.

Things turn from bad to worse and James admits his engagement to Emily.  As in all good stories everything ends happily ever after, or so we are led to believe by Jane Austen but the problem of who inherits the Longbourn Estate is never solved because all their children are girls.

The rather long, wordy play could do with some shortening, especially of the first scene, but it was well performed by the cast of 10 players.  The main characters James  (Tom Powell) had some lovely facial expresssions and played the part of the disintested fop with appeal;  Emily (Katie Milner) had all the giddiness and appeal that we already know of Mrs Bennett; Robert (Andrew Jackson), the ‘I must be obeyed’ type of landowner was a good blustery, argumentative character until, shortly before the end of the play he at long last talks to James about his mother and there was no doubt in this portrayal that he very much loved her;  Mary (Jane Ellison-Bates) Robert’s sister, substitute housekeeper and mother for James had a difficult part, merely supporting her family without much character of her own but at all times her face was alert, totally in character, listening and reacting to the action; George and Sarah Gardiner, the honest and trustworthy parents of Emily, one devoted to his work and the other to the love and fun of caring for a family, the moment when in conversation, she admitted that they didn’t have a gardener and she grew her own  roses was priceless.

I have little doubt that, with a little judicious pruning, this could become a well loved addition to the Austen plays.  One rather enjoyable thing was thXat during the scene changes there was 18th century music played on a piano by Martyne White accompanied by Helen Kerr on the violin, both in costume and occasionally joined by the cast singing period songs.  A lovely idea on an evening very well appreciated by the audience.  Many congratulations.

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