Ten Bucks Theatre Co.’s first show after leaving the Bangor Mall due to maintenance issues is well acted, but the cast and crew can’t overcome the flaws in the script to effectively bring Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” to life.
The organization celebrated its 25th season last year and has yet to find a permanent home. It is performing this show at the Cyrus Pavilion Theatre at the University of Maine in Orono, where True North Theatre performs twice a year. It’s unclear whether Ten Bucks will be able to use the space going forward.
“Pride and Prejudice,” directed by Natalie Lisnet, is a deeply dissatisfying show after the joyous and lust filled “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” last year, the company’s 21st summer outdoor Shakespeare offering. “Pride and Prejudice” is not as well executed as other productions — “The Woman in Black” in 2023 and the following year “The Book of Will,” which featured an actor reading from a script due to a last-minute cast change.
For those who skipped high school English class, “Pride and Prejudice” is the story of the Bennet family and the matchmaking attempts to marry off five daughters.
“Beneath the story’s comedy and romance, there’s a sharp and witty exploration of how easy or often we misjudge one another — and how difficult it is to change when we do,” Lisnet wrote in her director’s notes. “In a world of strict social norms, class divides, and rules, reputation carry enormous weight, and can hide the true depth of those we meet.”
Lisnet is the daughter of Ron Lisnet and Julie Arnold Lisnet, founders of Ten Bucks, who have roles in “Pride and Prejudice.” Natalie Lisnet portrayed the lead in “Henry V” in summer 2024.
Jon Jory’s script may be true to Austen’s novel, published in 1813, but it is a theatrical mess. Characters spend more time speaking to the audience than they do to each other. That builds intimacy with theatergoers, but when the actors turn to interact with each other, there’s little rapport, especially between the young lovers. Most aren’t communicating with each other; they are simply standing in place reciting their lines.
Natalie Lisnet makes the mistake many first-time directors do by not having all of her actors walk and talk at the same time. While people do sit around and talk to and about each other in real life, that is static and boring to see on stage.
She also has furniture moved on and off the stage in far too many scene changes, which brings the action to a crawl. Just as it seems like the play has momentum, it’s stopped as two stagehands put chairs on a sofa and carry them off stage only to bring them back a few minutes later. The actors could easily work around them.
As Mr. Darcy, Martin Guarnieri, who was delightful last year in Penobscot Theatre Co.’s “Mother Russia,” is smoldering and brooding enough for the role. He gives Darcy a charismatic charm despite the character’s standoffish pride.
Emily Crittenden gives Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy’s love interest, charm and grace, but there’s no spark visible in her scenes with Guarnieri. The passion in the show comes from the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, portrayed by Ron Lisnet and Erin Legacki. Much of the comedy comes from Legacki’s portrayal of Mrs. Bennet’s obsession with marrying her daughters off to wealthy gentry and Mr. Bennet’s wry observations about those efforts.
This is Legacki’s first production with Ten Bucks, and she is a great addition to the troupe. She and Ron Lisnet waltz perfectly together as a long married but loving couple who still have some spark.
Other standouts are Wyatt Gamage; Armando Belliard, who also designed the set; and Julie Arnold Lisnet, who is especially fine as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, a snobbish aristocrat who lets the Bennet family know in no uncertain terms that they are trying to climb above their station.
“Pride and Prejudice” is deeply disappointing, mostly due to Jory’s horribly flawed script. What this production needs is an infusion of passion to overcome those flaws. When the most ardor on stage is between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and not the young supposedly star-crossed lovers, the production is bound to fail.
Flawed productions have been a rarity in Ten Bucks’ 25-year history. As long as the company can find a permanent production space, this show will be the exception to its usual quality offerings.
Ten Bucks Theatre Co.’s “Pride and Prejudice” will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Cyrus Pavilion at the University of Maine in Orono. For information, visit tenbucksthatre.org.