Review Roundup: Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre's AUSTEN'S PRIDE
By: Alan Henry Oct. 22, 2019
_stars_as_jane_austen_in_austens_pride_at_the_5th_avenue_theatre_-_credit_tracy_martin.jpg "Review Roundup: Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre's AUSTEN'S PRIDE")
Laura Michelle Kelly and Clifton Davis lead the cast of Austen's Pride: A New Musical of Pride and Prejudice at The 5th Avenue Theatre.
Austen's Pride is an extraordinary new musical feast bound for the world's stages that has a history with The 5th. Austen's Pride began its journey with the The 5th in its basement rehearsal hall as part of the New Musical Development Program, then titled NextFest, in 2018. This will be the first full-scale, professional production of Austen's Pride and marks the 21st new musical produced by The 5th Avenue Theatre.Austen's Pride features a book, music, and lyrics by Lindsay Warren Baker (Lily, A Musical Portrait; Truth in Beauty: A Shakespeare Sonnet Project; Daniel, The Musical) and Amanda Jacobs (Learning How to Drown; The Up Side of Down; Truth in Beauty: A Shakespeare Sonnet Project) and will showcase direction by the Bellingham, Wash.-raised Igor Goldin in his 5th Avenue Theatre debut, with choreography by Lisa Shriver, who directed and choreographed last season's production of Rock of Ages.
Playing October 4 - 27, 2019 (press opening Friday, October 18, 2019), single tickets for Austen's Pride are on sale now at www.5thavenue.org, by phone at 206.625.1900, or in person at the Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in Downtown Seattle.
Let's see what the critics have to say!
Jay Irwin, BroadwayWorld: The songs are lovely, especially when sung by the powerhouse performers in this production. They don't necessarily move the story along (usually one of my new musical pet peeves) but they do beautifully reveal the inner truths of the characters advancing the emotional journey. They still need some work. There's not one that I went away humming or really remember that much but they are appealing nonetheless. There are a few that truly shine such as Austen and Elizabeth's "Had I Been in Love" and Darcy's "Fine Eyes" and really show a turning point in the show but they still didn't completely hook me in. It was still the original story and the interaction with Austen that sold the show more than the music.
Misha Berson, Seattle Times: The production boasts a large cast, but looks low-budget in other respects. While the lighting scheme (by Jason Lyons) employs attractive projections to indicate sense of place, the ladies' attire by Melanie Taylor Burgess seems drab compared to the Regency-era fashion displays in other Austen spin offs. That can be remedied. And "Austen's Pride" will likely satisfy some "Pride and Prejudice" fans and newcomers to the novel. But it needs cutting (and some rethinking) to rank high among the novel's many, many homages.
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