Join River Company at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22 in Skidompha Library’s Porter Meeting Hall for a spirited afternoon of literature, laughter, and theatrical flair.
Come celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday year with a lively, witty staged reading of “Pride and Prejudice” that keeps the bonnets crisp, the barbs sharper, and the nerves delightfully unreliable as Austen’s comedy of manners gets a fresh River Company wink.
Admission is free, and the audience is invited to bring items to help fill Skidompha’s Little Food Pantry. Think tea, treats, and cake mixes that might have delighted Miss Austen, or at least earned a raised eyebrow.
This adaptation embraces theatrical shape shifting, with several actors take on dual roles that swing from sweet to sharp, starched to scandalous, sometimes in the same breath.
Nick Azzaretti appears as both Mr. Bennet and Sir William Lucas. He delivers Mr. Bennet’s dry, deadpan delight with impeccable timing, then pivots into Sir William’s eager good manners and social sparkle. It’s a leap from sardonic to starched that lands on its feet every time, without spilling a drop of tea.
Eleanor Cade Busby takes on Mrs. Bennet. She reigns, frets, flutters, and fusses with glorious commitment, giving the audience a Mrs. Bennet whose nerves are forever sprinting just ahead of the occasion. Expect comic panic with a pulse of real maternal urgency underneath.
Roosevelt “Robo” Bishop plays Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy. He pours on Collins’ oily, self-satisfied courtship with a straight face, then turns and becomes Darcy’s brooding restraint, where admiration simmers at a dangerous temperature until it can’t be contained.
Honora Boothby is Elizabeth Bennet, keen eyed and warm hearted. She slings wit with precision and pleasure, turning misunderstandings into elegant duels and letting Elizabeth’s intelligence shine without ever losing the human softness at her core.
Soren Barker steps in as Mr. Wickham and Mr. Bigley. He arrives with a velvet grin and a pocketful of trouble, offering quicksilver compliments, a perfectly timed sigh, and just enough charm to make you doubt your own good sense. Whether he’s pouring on Wickham’s dangerous sweetness or snapping into Mr. Bigley’s brisk bravado, he makes it all look scandalously polite and far too easy.
Rachael Schuster plays Jane Bennet and Lydia Bennet. She brings angelic poise and open-hearted sweetness to Jane, then whirls into riotous, irrepressible chaos as Lydia, who seems convinced the world exists chiefly for her amusement and romantic plot momentum.
Christine Andersen is Charlotte Lucas, offering quiet intelligence and steady grace. Her practicality shines with poignant clarity, the calm eye of the social storm, and a reminder that survival sometimes wears a sensible smile.
Laura Morris appears as Miss Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam. She revels in Miss Bingley’s fine disdain and razor-edged charm, then strides into Colonel Fitzwilliam’s good-humored authority with genial spine and perfectly timed side-eye.
Kim Fletcher embodies Lady Catherine de Bourgh in full imperious splendor. Her opinions arrive like royal decrees, with the subtlety of a dinner bell, and the unshakable certainty of someone who has never once wondered if she might be wrong.
Skidompha Library is located at 184 Main St. in Damariscotta. For more information, go to skidompha.org.
