by Zahid Fayyaz

A hit in Australia, this rowdy and ‘immersive’ adaptation of Pride and Prejudice has now made its way to London, playing in the atmospheric tunnels under Waterloo station. Performed by five actors doing all the parts, this is a fun romp through Jane Austen’s iconic book. There is heavy encouragement from the performers to buy drinks throughout the show to keep the mood up but it’s still plenty of fun.

Cut down to 75 minutes or so, the pace of the show is frantic and highly entertaining, with a lot of jokes and physical comedy. The actors comically exaggerate the creepiness of some of the characters, and make fun of the misogyny and anti-poor sentiments that are part of the original text. The cast also interacts with the audience quite a bit, doing things like sitting next to them, asking for dance styles and in one case, casting a member of the audience as Mr Darcy’s sister. Its all a good laugh though, and adds to the highly entertaining atmosphere.

This is certainly a show to catch if you want to have a good time, with plenty of good energy and humour to entertain. Whilst it’s best not to expect a faithful reproduction of the text, it’s still a lot of fun and the audience are left very happy by the end of the show. As an experience, this comes highly recommended.

Plied and Prejudice runs through 18 May.

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