Promise and Promiscuity

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

4 Stars

In Jane Austin’s day, her literary works were full of irony, with modern references, and cutting social commentary.  Also, a lot of fun.

New Zealand’s Penny Ashton has taken the works of Jane Austin (in particular, Pride and Prejudice) and has modernized them, with music, popular references, and several witty asides to the audience.  Add to this clever character work, a talented and likeable actress, and a strong script, and it’s a recipe for success.

Ashton creates a quasi-modern, humorous, irrelevant world, and fills it with characters of all sorts.  She makes Austin come alive, and makes this ‘classic’ both appealing and accessible.

My only criticism would be that for a musical there are very few songs.  More music would have been appreciated (especially as it was billed as a musical), but otherwise, this is a strong, professional piece of theatre.