Theater Review: ‘Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley’: Last in the Trilogy
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SKOKIE, Ill.—She wasn’t well known in her lifetime, but Jane Austen (1775–1817) continues to increase in popularity in our time. In the last century, there have been hundreds of adaptations of her novels, such as the 1940 “Pride and Prejudice” film starring Laurence Olivier, the BBC television miniseries that starred Colin Firth in 1995, and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” with Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger in 2001.
So, it’s not a surprise that someone would come up with a sequel to “Pride and Prejudice” and set it during Christmas. Such is the case with “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley” written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon now at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Illinois. But as what often happens in revisions of historically bound pieces, modern viewpoints intrude.
Pemberly Trilogy
The play is the last in a theatrical trilogy that began in 2016 with “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” followed by “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley” in 2019, and now with “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley.” Each of the plays has been designed to stand on its own, so one doesn’t have to watch the previous works to understand “Georgiana and Kitty.”
Directed with subtlety by Marti Lyons, “Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley” takes place several years after Austen’s 1813 “Pride and Prejudice” and revolves around the comedic romantic entanglements of two young women who are best friends.
There is Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, the shy, introspective Georgiana Darcy (a strong portrayal by Janyce Caraballo), and the more outgoing younger sister of Elizabeth Bennet, Kitty (nice turn by Samantha Newcomb). They are close friends who support each other, with Georgiana a talented pianist and Kitty her loyal champion.
While the two women seem to be career-minded, they still find time to talk about romance. Georgiana has been writing letters to Henry Gray (Erik Hellman compelling as a shy, awkward fellow), a music fan who is as introverted as she is.
Things begin to get serious between them when Georgiana invites Henry to spend Christmas with her at Pemberley. As she confides in Kitty about her developing attraction to Henry, Kitty wonders whether Georgiana’s family, which includes Fitzwilliam (Yousof Sultani), his wife Elizabeth (Amanda Drinkall), and her sisters Jane (Emma Jo Boydon), and Lydia (Preeti Thaker), will get in the way.
Henry arrives with his best friend Thomas O’Brien (Nate Santana), who looks to have a crush on Kitty. Things are getting comfortably romantic until a secret letter surfaces that stops Georgiana and Henry’s budding romance cold, and which results in Georgiana taking off for London.
The play continues several years later as Act II opens. Georgiana has become a well-known pianist, and Kitty has become an impresario promoting Georgiana’s concerts. Together, the two women decide that they will create an organization specifically for female musicians.
Period Design
Elegantly set in Northlight’s intimate stage by designers Jackie and Rick Penrod, and enhanced by the period costume design of Raquel Adorno, the play’s images look to be a throwback to 1815 England. In addition, the original music by sound designer and composer Christopher Kriz takes center stage because of its importance to the story. After all, Georgiana is supposed to be a determined pianist and pleasant melodies are required.
Gunderson and Melcon didn’t just extend the “Pride and Prejudice” plot in which Austen explored the role of women in marriage and society. The playwrights focused more on feminism than the sensibilities of the period.
That said, fans of Austen, who are so enamored of the English novelist, will most likely overlook that problem and will appreciate being whisked back into a nostalgic 19th century that seems gentler and kinder than our own.
‘Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley’
Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, Ill.
Tickets: NorthLight.org
Runs: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Closes: Dec. 24, 2022
As an arts writer and movie/theater/opera critic, Betty Mohr has been published in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Australian, The Dramatist, the SouthtownStar, the Post Tribune, The Herald News, The Globe and Mail in Toronto, and other publications.
