Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Pride and Prejudice

When I read that the college theater was performing "Pride and Prejudice", I at first  considered inviting all the ladies in the family to attend together. That was only half of our group, however, because the men were also willing to join us.
We had quite a party of folks and everyone was ready for a pleasant evening at the theater.
I enjoyed being able to invite my family out for a special evening (Thanks, Honey!) and was thrilled that everyone could make it, with the exception of our two sets of young parents.
The program claimed that the play was a faithful adaptation of the book. That turned out to be an understatement. The play was almost like having the book read aloud in its entirety!
With our large group, we were seated towards the back of the auditorium and it was quite a bit of work to hear the actors and actresses who delivered, in English dialect, long speeches which they had impressively memorized. Tim said that he wished he could turn on his phone to use the dictionary app!
The first act was an hour and fifteen minutes! It seemed like they didn't leave out a single chapter.
Almost everyone behaved well and tried to be a good sport throughout this long performance. You really had to be familiar with the story to understand it and the movie was so much more exciting. We all agreed that the next time we go to the theater, a musical would be a better choice. In fact, after it was over, I promised them all a Klondike because it was like reading a book!
I felt pride in my family for suiting up and showing up but should have realized that long speeches in  highfaluting language would set up a prejudice in individuals who prefer a lighter form of entertainment and that might even include myself!