Cultural Dessert

On Saturday we made the short journey to the gardens of Woburn Abbey to see an outdoor performance of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. It was a perfect setting for a tale set in and around grand country houses and it was a beautiful evening to be entertained by the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen. The actors at these outdoor productions really work hard – having to project to be heard at the back of a large audience spread across the lawns and not getting any break as they spend the interval strolling through the crowds, selling raffle tickets and programmes while still resolutely in character (the Bennet girls clearly on the search for potential husbands in the audience!). Even the drawing of the raffle was done with Austenian flourish and those female members of the audience celebrating their birthday were called up to the stage for a kiss from Mr Darcy! It was a very enjoyable evening with fine performances, particularly from Hannah Lee as Elizabeth Bennet and Edwin Wright as Darcy.