Death Comes to Pemberley at Richmond Theatre Review
Written by Cathie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
With 2025 marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, it is only natural that stages turn to all things Regency. Death Comes to Pemberley is an auspiciously timed staging of the crime novel written by PD James and is based on the characters of Pride and Prejudice, six years after the original novel. Directed by Jonathan O'Boyle, and adapted for the stage by Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff, we see the peaceful lives of the Darcy’s disrupted by the discovery of a brutal murder in the woods.
The storyline is interesting but seesaws between comedy, regency romance and murder mystery. The first act focused on setting the tone of both the murder and the Darcy’s marriage, with plenty of witty one-liner throwbacks to Austen’s prose. The second act focuses on a Regency-style police procedural to solve the murder. There are plenty of satisfying plot twists and red herrings unfurled along the way to solving this murder mystery. Its themes of trust, love, seduction, societal expectations and justice are solidly translated for the stage. The pacing does feel over stretched at times, especially in the second act, but it is reflective of the original TV series in the amount of time spent on each plot point. Neither James nor Austen used brevity in their writing styles, so it also reflects the original novel as well as keeping the majority of the plot intact.
The cast is strong and able to showcase the restrained manners of Regency England well. Particular highlights are Todd Boyce in his role as exacting magistrate, Sarah Berger as powerful Lady Catherine and Mrs Bidwell, Sean Rigby as honourable Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mogali Masuku as traumatised Lydia Wickham and Louisa Bidwell. James Bye and Jamie-Rose Duke were interesting but very restrained as the Darcy’s and there is more focus on the supportive cast than on this couple within the show. Celia Cruwys-Finnigan and David Osmond were a very sweet secondary romance, and their continual use of the pianoforte to signal time and scene changes was masterfully done. Paul Jerricho and Louise Faulkner were excellent comic foils for a large number of characters, and Sam Woodhams is a credible tortured villain in his portrayal of Wickham.
The set, beautifully designed by Sean Canvanagh, is a series of shifting panels which conceal and reveal different parts of the Pemberley estate and local jail. It is very smoothly adjusted throughout and is one of the best strengths of this production.
Overall, this is an interesting adaptation of James’ novel and does a credible effort in bringing this bridging of two literary giants to the stage. This is the first national touring production that has originated from the Mill Theatre in Sonning, so it is wonderful to see regional theatre championed in this way. September, with its crisp autumn chill, is the perfect time to come and see this play, and it is an excellent mood setter for the spookier months to come. If you enjoy gripping drama, adaptations of Austen and a spooky mystery to unfurl then this is the show for you.
★★★
