***** Highly Recommended ***** I’m a Jane Austen fan. I’ve read and reread all of her books, wry commentaries on the courtship rituals of the English gentry. The Bennett family, described so well in Pride and Prejudice, is dear to me. While I loved the first two installments in the Pemberley trilogy by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcom, Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, I think Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley is the best of the three. Everything is exactly as it should be – the costumes, the hairstyles, the setting, the accents – the feminist slant. Fresh and witty, Georgiana and Kitty fits right into Jane Austen’s world. 4 BIG Spotlights
Miss Bennett is an elegant comedy of manners set in the drawing room at Pemberley. Elizabeth (Lizzie) has married her dear Mr. Darcy and settled into Pemberley. Her sisters, Jane (and her husband, Mr. Bingley), Mary (who is unmarried) and Lydia (without her husband, Mr. Wickham, who is banned from Pemberley), are visiting for the holidays. Another guest, Darcy’s cousin, Arthur de Bourgh, might be perfect for Mary.
The Wickhams, set in the kitchens of Pemberley, has more of the upstairs/downstairs theme. While Lizzie and Darcy visit with their guests, the staff is busy with their tasks. Lydia’s disgraced husband, Wickham, a reprehensible drunkard, forces himself into the house through the servants’ entrance, causes all kinds of trouble, and refuses to leave.
Georgiana and Kitty is again set in the drawing room at Pemberley. The Bennett sisters, Jane Bingley (Emma Jo Boyden), Mary (Andrea San Miguel), Lydia (Preeti Thaker) and Kitty (Samantha Newcomb), are visiting their sister Lizzie (Amanda Drinkall) and her husband Fitzwilliam Darcy (Yousof Sultani) for Christmas, as is Darcy’s sister, Georgiana (Janyce Caraballo).
Georgiana and Kitty are best friends. Georgiana, a brilliant pianist confides in Kitty, an organizational genius, that she has invited a gentleman to spend Christmas at Pemberley – without ever mentioning it to her brother. After she played a concert in London, Henry Gray (Erik Hellman) was so enthralled by her performance he introduced himself, they’ve been writing letters ever since – scandalous behavior!
When Henry arrives at Pemberley, accompanied by his friend, Thomas O’Brien (Nate Santana), Darcy is angry, but Lizzie persuades him to let the gentlemen stay. Henry and Georgianna are growing closer, as are Thomas and Kitty. Unfortunately, Henry has just received a letter announcing that his family has lost their money and his father has arranged for him to marry a wealthy neighbor. Before Henry can tell Georgiana about his misfortune, Lydia gets the letter and goes directly to Darcy, who immediately throws Henry out of the house. Furious, Georgiana confronts her brother, announcing that she will be heard!
Act II is set in the drawing room of Georgiana’s London home several years later. Kitty has been married to Thomas O’Brien for several years. Georgiana, who has not married, lives alone happily composing music and playing concerts. Since women are not permitted to join the any of the societies of musicians, artists or writers, Georgiana and Kitty are forming their own society for in the arts. They’re planning on announcing the society at an upcoming concert.
By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about this family, several authors have written sequels. I recommend “Death Comes to Pemberley”, a mystery masterpiece by one of the best mystery writers ever, P.D. James, which takes place six years after the Darcy wedding.
Note: Masks are required if you are seated in the first two rows due to proximity to the actors. Masks are encouraged but not required elsewhere.
Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley runs through December 24th at Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. Parking is free. Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes, with an intermission.
Performances:
- Wednesdays at 1:00 & 7:30 pm
- Thursdays at 7:30 pm
- Fridays at 8:00 pm
- Saturdays at 2:30 and 8:00 pm
- Sundays at 2:30
Additional performances:
- Tuesday, December 20th at 7:30 pm
- Friday, December 23rd at 2:30 pm.
No performances:
- December 24th at 8:00
- December 25th at 2:30 pm.
Accessible performances:
- Open Captioned/ASL Interpreted performance, Friday, December 16th at 8:00pm.
- Open Captioned/Audio Described/Touch Tour performance, Saturday, December 17th at 2:30pm.
Tickets range from $30-$89. FYI (847) 673-6300 or www.northlight.org.