Elizabeth Bennet (Honora Boothby) wonders if she has misjudged a good man during the River Companys presentation of “Pride and Prejudice” in the Porter Meeting Hall at Skidompha Library in Damariscotta on Sunday, Feb. 22. (Sarah Masters photo)
River Company and Skidompha Library celebrated Jane Austen’s 250th birthday with staged readings of “Pride and Prejudice.”
The cast performed an adaptation created in 1906 that streamlines Austen’s five Bennet daughters into three. The story is shuffled and events are speed along to a reasonable runtime. But parts of Austen’s text are accepted as sacred.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” begins the tale of love and marriage. The story opens as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, played by Nick Azzaretti and Eleanor Cade Busby, plot to marry their daughters off to wealthy men.
The prospects are thick on the ground. A rich single man has just moved to the area, a battalion of soldiers is stationed nearby, and Mr. Bennet’s cousin has expressed his appreciation for the lovely girls. That cousin, Mr. Collins, played by Roosevelt Bishop, will inherit the property in which the Bennets live upon Mr. Bennet’s death. Therefore Mrs. Bennet is eager to pawn off a daughter to save her own abode.
The new neighbor Mr. Bingley, played by Soren Barker, visits and brings along another rich single man, Mr. Darcy, also played by Bishop.
Barker’s Bingley is so cheery and bright it is no surprise eldest daughter Jane, portrayed by Rachael Schuster, is immediately smitten. In contrast, Darcy is haughty and taciturn. His manner displeases intelligent and stubborn middle daughter Elizabeth Bennet, brought to life by Honora Boothby. While Bingley and Jane are hitting it off, Darcy and Elizabeth are giving each other the ick.
At 15, the youngest daughter Lydia, also played by Schuster, should be living a prim and proper life as she waits for her turn at the altar. Scandal erupts when Lydia elopes with an officer, Mr. Wickham, Barker’s other role. This hastens the plot along to its eventual happy ending for all three couples, four if you count Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who succeed in marrying their daughters to respectable and wealthy men.
River Company presented “Pride and Prejudice” for the first time on Dec. 20, 2025 closer to Austen’s birth date of Dec. 16. Clearly the cast had fun, leading to an encore performance in the Porter Meeting Hall in Skidompha Library.
The intimate venue lends itself to a more connected experience. Performers are mere feet away and on the same level as the audience. With no microphones the cast projected all on their own, a challenging fete with subtle dialogue.
On Sunday, Feb. 22, Azzaretti welcomed the audience by leading them in a call-and-response rehearsal. The show became interactive as the 30 audience members gamely shouted a lively chorus.
River Company’s lively yet minimal performances eschew sets and most props so the audience can hone in on clever and rapid fire dialogue. Simple costumes of basic black were embellished with colorful accessories to differentiate actors in dual roles.
The cast’s familiarity with each other has built an obvious easy camaraderie and genuine goodwill that permeates performances. One might believe the Bennets have truly been sniping at each other for decades and Darcy and Bingley have been the best of friends.
Azzaretti moderate and mollifying Mr. Bennet is well fit mate to Busby’s nervous Mrs. Bennet. Boothby’s subtle reactions and expressions were well juxtaposed against the flighty Mrs. Bennet.
Schuster ably bounced back and forth between reserved Jane and silly Lydia, giving her the opportunity to be wise and then frivolous within one scene.
In a witty show, the cast added even more levity with the men’s dual roles. Bishop made the most of his dual casting as boorish Mr. Collins and uptight Mr. Darcy in a scene of dialogue between the two characters. Bishop donned the left half of Collins’ red vest, leaving Darcy’s fancy coat with tails on the right, allowing him to pivot back and forth in a frenzy.
Azzaretti also played two characters for the fun of it, slapping a black wig on to switch to jolly and lively Sir William Lucas, a Bennet family friend.
Kim Fletcher’s scene-stealing performance as the imperious and commanding Lady Catherine de Bourgh brought rounds of applause after her two appearances.
Christine Andersen played Elizabeth’s dear friend Charlotte Lucas. Lucas is reduced to a shadow in this play, a shame for a talented actress.
Laura Morris appeared as Miss Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam, another pair of characters stripped down to their basics to move the plot along.
An afternoon with Austen and the River Company is a fine way to spend a Sunday tea time. The filmed performance will be available online; find The River Company Theater on YouTube for more information.
Skidompha Library is located at 184 Main St. in Damariscotta. For more information, go to skidompha.org.
