PREVIEW: Shakespeare & Company, "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly"

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

www.shakespeare.org

December 16, 17, 18, 2023

Photo by Olivia Winslow

Shakespeare & Company returns to the lively world of Jane Austen-inspired theater with a costumed, staged reading, with complete set, of "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley," written by local playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, and directed by Ariel Bock.

There will be four performances of this imagined sequel to Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice," which focuses largely on middle-sister Mary Bennet. As the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley – the home of Darcy and Elizabeth – the ever-dependable Mary is growing tired of her role as a dutiful middle sister, in contrast to her siblings’ romantic escapades. At the same time, an unexpected guest sparks her hopes for an intellectual match, independence, and possibly even love.

“In a year in which so many of us are heading back to live theater, I am thrilled to be directing this costumed reading of 'Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley,'” said Bock. “It’s a playful love story that celebrates the holiday spirit of warmth and family, but in addition to the themes of a classic Austen romance, is also a very contemporary story of a woman determined to find self-worth outside the confines of her society.”

The play is dedicated in memory of Shakespeare & Company's well-known actor, teacher and weapons-master Bob Lohbauer, who passed away this year, and to his wife Govan Lohbauer, who is the costume director.