“The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley”

Recommended ***  Those of you who might have seen “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley”, we now have a companion play, “The Wickhams : Christmas at Pemberley”, sort of the “Hallmark” classic Christmas tales at Northlight Theatre. Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon and smoothly directed by Jessica Thebus, this is a sweet little play that brings us back to the same place, with some of the same characters and yet, a different holiday of events.

Please understand that the characters in this series are those from  “Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen, and might be considered sequels. They certainly keep the characters alive and well and enjoying their holiday. Or are they? If you did see the previous play and can recall the content, this will be like re-visiting an old friend. If you are not into Austen and di not see the previous play, you will not be lost, but will not get the full enjoyment and understanding of fellow audience members, who might have.

What is novel about the writing of these new “holiday plays” as put by authors Gunderson and Melcon is that the characters are living with one leg in Jane Austen territory and the other in the modern world. This story has a feminist attitude and deals with social issues. The characters are those we have met in the past, Lydia Wickham (Jennifer Latimore returns in this role  ) and her sister Elizabeth Darcy ( delightfully played by Netta Walker) and the delightful Mrs. Reynolds ( played to perfection by Penny Slusher) who handles the “downstairs” portion of the home.

The action of the play takes place “downstairs” where Mrs. Reynolds controls the comings and goings of her staff, Brian ( Jayson Lee making his Northlight debut) who is sort of the go-to handyman and Cassie ( a delightful character portrayed by Aurora Real De Asua ( another newcomer to Northlight) who has been hired to assist Mrs. Reynolds. There are also some maids who in this case are truly the stage hands dressed in period costumes and choreographed b Thebus to move pieces about in character. A charming touch that truly allows the pace of the show to stay intact.

As you might suspect, the “upstairs” people are wealthy and if one can recall,Lydia has a husband, one George Wickham ( powerfully portrayed by Will Mobley) who is a money grubber, adulterer and has been MIA. When he shows up, beaten t a pulp, he is brought back to health on a physical side, but what he is there for brings out the worst in him and it seems the others. We now learn more about some old secrets and new situations. This is where one must pay close attention if you have not seen the previous work. The other “upstairs” character is Fitzwilliam Darcy ( played beautifully by Luigi Sottile). Mary and Kitty, from the previous play are not in this story ( but could there be yet another story to come for another Christmas to come?).

It is a slick production and will even appeal to those who are not into period pieces. Those who love Jane Austen might think my rating a bit low, but this is not a play for all audiences. It is under two hours long and is quickly paced. There is a love story that blossoms before our very eyes and watching Slusher in any character she plays is always a pleasure.

On the tech side of this production, there is an amazing set (William Boles has created a masterpiece), great lighting ( Christine A. Binder) and sound (Kevin O’Donnell) and fantastic costumes ( Izumi Inaba). Mary O’Dowd’s props are wonderful. It is one of the hardest parts on the tech side, finding every items that fits the story and the characters, but she did it!

“The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley will continue at Northlight Theatre located at 9501 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie thru December 15th with this schedule

Price: $30-$89

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Box Office: 847-673-6300

www.northlight.org

OPEN CAPTION performance Saturday 12/7 at 2:30  p.m.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Wickhams : Christmas at Pemberley”.