Darcy’s Dilemma, Mickleburgh Productions in association with the Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed – C Aquila

** (2 stars)

Darcy’s Dilemma: that title, despite its reference to a well-known character (thanks in part to Colin Firth) would suggest that this play was going to do something very unusual with a Jane Austen text: centralise the male experience. Instinct told me that reworking a text that centralises a female experience, and making it into a male story, was a bad idea and frankly, a backwards step; but I was curious. To be sure, what I expected was something a little more along the lines of ITV’s Lost in Austen: trash, but entertaining trash. What I got was a surprise.

In fact, what Mickleburgh Productions is portending to do is give a voice to Darcy’s thought process as he writes his post-proposal letter in Pride and Prejudice. Far from being silly and trivial, this ‘story never told’ is serious from beginning to end. It also only has one character: Darcy. And, to be fair, it is an impressive feat on the part of Mickleburgh, to fill the stage for the entire 55 minutes. The set design and costumes are both period appropriate and not too over-stated and simple stage design makes use of one prop: the desk at which he keeps returning to write his letter. The strange experience of having Darcy’s recalled conversations played on a loudspeaker is odd and off-putting, but ultimately forgivable.

However, the main problem, it seems to me, is the subject matter. Has anyone ever given thought to what went through Darcy’s head as he wrote that letter? The genius of Jane Austen is such that, the letter, whilst sounding entirely in-character and retaining Darcy’s reserved and offended demeanour, is also very revealing. There quite simply isn’t that much more to say. This production adds nothing, says nothing clever about the text, contributes nothing to Austen. The writer has taken material that was perfectly sufficient and augmented it so that we have to sit through 55 minutes of Darcy ranting. The end result is self-indulgent and quite frankly, dull.

Furthermore, as the play went on I found some of Darcy’s opinions to be out of character and offensive to the entire ethos of Jane Austen. On a couple of occasions the script dismissed Elizabeth’s words as the foolish rantings of a silly girl, whilst sexualising her physically. The reason Austen’s Darcy is such an appealing hero is that he respects and admires Elizabeth for her intelligence. To twist the text in such a way only diminished the character of Darcy.

This was a story that never needed to be told and in centralising this part of the text, the author lost the wit, the comedy and, most importantly, the female experience that is so central to Austen’s work.

C aquila, running until 30th August, 3.45pm.

Laura Witz