Marin’s ‘Miss Bennet’ a new Christmas classic

If you’re already a Jane Austen fan, seeing Marin Theatre Company’s “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” is akin to discovering “Pride and Prejudice” for the first time. Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, it’s driven forward by effervescent wit, the will-they-or-won’t-they-except-obviously-they-will thrills of a perfectly constructed love story, and stirring, eloquent philosophical discussions about duty — to one’s family, and most importantly to oneself. 

If you’re not (yet) an Austen fan, Marin Theatre Company’s production, which opened Tuesday, Nov. 29, might well convert you. Its language is more accessible than Austen’s Regency-era English, and the sherbet hues of Erik Flatmo’s set and Callie Floor’s costumes enliven a world too often rendered in washed-out pastels.[...]

Jane Austen’s Mary shines in ‘Miss Bennet’

More than ever, this holiday season finds local theatergoers in need of some cheer. The comforting familiarity, wit and warmth of a Jane Austen romantic comedy has long offered that kind of refuge, as evidenced by the plentitude of stage and screen adaptations of her half-dozen novels. Now Marin Theatre Company revisits the world of Austen’s best-known work, “Pride and Prejudice,” with a brand new sequel, “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.”

The play is locally grown, written by MTC playwright in residence Lauren Gunderson and the company’s former director of new play development, Margot Melcon. Marin’s production is actually the last to open of three overlapping productions as part of a rolling world premiere. The show’s already playing at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre and Washington, D.C.’s Round House Theatre.[...]

Lost in Austen with Marin’s Christmas at Pemberly

We’re all in need of some genuine Christmas cheer this year, and that’s exactly what Marin Theatre Company’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley provides. It’s sweet without being sappy. It’s sharp, clever and funny with a warm undercurrent of genuine emotion. What more could you want from a holiday show (except maybe passed eggnog and a round of carols).

The show also has the distinction of slaking the seemingly bottomless appetite for all things Jane Austen. Writers Lauren Gunderson (the San Francisco playwright who holds the distinction of being the most produced living playwright this season in the U.S.) and Margot Melcon (MTC’s former director of new play development) have gone back to the Austen well to fashion a sequel of sorts to the 1813 Pride and Prejudice. They focus in on Christmas in the grand home of newlyweds Elizabeth (Bennet) Darcy and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Esq., who are hosting family for the holiday.[...]

Introvert's Delight

One needn't be an ardent fan of Jane Austen's novels to relish Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly, a delightful new play by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon that received a tightly-choreographed rolling world premiere from the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland, the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, and the Marin Theatre Company.[...]

‘Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley’ a holiday treat

Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon have created a delicious holiday confection with “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” presented by Marin Theatre Company.

It imagines what Jane Austen might have written as a sequel to “Pride and Prejudice.” Occurring in 1815, two years after the end of that play, this one takes place at Pemberley, the estate of Elizabeth Darcy (Cindy Im) and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Joseph Patrick O’Malley), who are hosting her family for Christmas.[...]

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is a five-star production at Marin Theatre

It is always a joy to see a play that fulfills all the criteria for being a perfect production. Marin Theatre Company’s staging of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon fits the bill.  Without knowing Melcon’s full contributions this by far is multi-award winner Gunderson’s best writing. MTC has brought onboard the acclaimed Meredith McDonough as director, allowed set designer Eric Flatmo to create an opulent drawing room set and Callie Floor to design magnificent 18 century costumes. Added to all this a great cast bringing each character to life.[...]

The Timely Joys of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley

I’m looking forward to the next play on offer at the Marin Theatre Company, in Mill Valley, but after the events of the past few months, I’m glad it doesn’t open until next month. It’s the West Coast premiere of Native Son, by Nambi E. Kelley, adapted from Richard Wright’s justly famed 1940 novel. MTC’s work is always so good, I’m sure the Chicago-set play, which conveys the social inevitability behind a horrific crime, will be well worth seeing. But like many people around here, I think, I need something gentle, sweet spirited, and charming right now. I need to laugh!

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is just the ticket. Critics and playgoers will call it “a holiday delight,” and they’ll be right, but it’s far more than a seasonal bonbon. Beyond its wonderful wit and humor, clever characterizations, and almost farcical comings and goings, the play delves into questions of freedom, duty, and happiness so deftly, you almost don’t notice how thoughtful it is.[...]