Lydia Bennet Works in Finance, Trelawny Kean Review
As someone who’s only started enjoying Jane Austen’s work in the past couple of years, the moment I eyed the word Bennet on the poster at the George Street Greenside bar, I knew I had to try and fit it into my schedule. Even with the travesty that was Scotrail, meaning I had to run to the venue, Lydia Bennet Works in Finance reveals itself as a redemption arc for the youngest of the Bennet sisters, who has just left Wickham, tries to reinvent herself, knowing she has to be the one to come out on top.
Choosing to put Lydia into the finance industry was a smart decision by writer and star Trelawny Ken, who expertly juggles the energetic nature people have come to know Lydia for, but also gives her a twenty-first-century revamp, making her more relatable to the audience. Being the youngest, Lydia has come to be known as the one who could never live up to her sisters, putting her in the shadow; this becomes essential to the show and the decisions Lydia takes.
The only somewhat complaint was the indecisive nature of using voiceover of other characters, it is used for Lizzie, but besides that’s never utilised again. Making it stand out more like a sore thumb than a potentially useful technique, one person shows sometimes employ.
Nonetheless, Lydia Bennet Works in Finance is an initiative piece that mends the audience’s relationship with the “troubled” sister from a beloved novel, which maintains its theme of sisterly love at its core.
Lydia Bennet Works in Finance plays at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 23 August
★ ★ ★ .5
