★★★

“for the most part the characters are gently engaging”

When P D James wrote “Death Comes to Pemberley”, she prefaced the novel with an apology to Jane Austen for ‘involving her beloved Elizabeth in the trauma of a murder investigation’. She surmised that had Austen wished to dwell on such ‘odious subjects’, she would have written the story herself, and ‘done it better’. The general reception to her novel disputed her modest self-criticism, however, and her sequel to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, written in the style of Jane Austen, was a blend of James’ signature crime writing and Austen’s sardonic romance. It wasn’t long before it was adapted for television, but it has taken a few more years for it to reach the stage.

Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation is a remarkably faithful interpretation of the P D James mystery novel. It is the year 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years and are comfortable in their orderly world on their idyllic estate of Pemberley. On the eve of their annual ball there is a storm. Elizabeth’s younger sister, Lydia, bursts onto the scene screaming blue murder. A corpse is found in the woods, cradled by Lydia’s blood-soaked husband. It appears to be an easily solved whodunnit. It isn’t, of course. That would make for a very short play. And this adaptation – which opened at the Mill at Sonning prior to its current tour – is most certainly on the long side.

It is not an easy story to adapt, yet Abel and Wagstaff do justice to both Jane Austen and P D James with a cast that authentically recreates the characters. There is inevitably an overreliance on exposition which causes the story to drag occasionally, but for the most part the characters are gently engaging. All eyes are bound to be on James Bye, fresh from his television persona as Martin in ‘Eastenders’. But Bye is unrecognisable, sensitively portraying the solid Fitzwilliam Darcy, adding an appealing vulnerability to his haughtiness. Jamie-Rose Duke places Elizabeth Darcy ahead of her time, unafraid to stand up to her husband but unashamed to stand by him too. The couple seem to be the only ones on the side of the prime murder suspect, George Wickham. He’s a dodgy fellow who does himself no favours, portrayed with infectious energy by Sam Woodhams. Woodhams also doubles as the terminally ill Will Bidwell – quite ironic given the role Will plays in the mystery, but I shall give nothing away.

As skeletons come out of the closet, the plot thickens, relationships tangle, intrigues intertwine, and class divides blur. The atmosphere is seldom fully realised, however, and there is little in the way of suspense. And an awful lot of lines are lost among problems of projection (James Bye is an exception, as is Sarah Berger’s matriarchal Lady Catherine de Bourgh). Director Jonathan O’Boyle ably steers the narrative through the woods, but never really breaks from a trot; particularly in the first act. After interval the pace quickens to a canter, but we want to feel as though we are galloping towards the conclusion. A sense of location is often missing too. Mike Robertson’s lighting attempts to lead us from the salons into the woods, but too much overspill leaves us hovering between the two.

Although it obviously helps, you don’t need to be familiar with Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and prejudice’ (or P D James’ sequel) to appreciate the story being told here. There is plenty to hang onto as the strands of the storyline come together and backstories are revealed. But we are hanging on precariously – the hold on our attention lacking the strength to keep us gripped throughout. It could be a wonderful blend of whodunnit and period drama but, despite the commitment of a fine ensemble cast, it is left swinging between the two, not entirely sure which to reach out for.

FOR THE LACK OF LAURA

Shaw Theatre

★★★

“At its heart there is a musical gem”

Does eternity give you enough time to find true love? This is the central question that preoccupies Laura, the heroine in Kurt Rosenberg’s “For the Lack of Laura”. As luck would have it, or rather misfortune, Laura is given the opportunity to find out. With immortality at her fingertips, surely she can find ‘the one’. Or at least it gives her ample time to try out different ‘ones’.

Rosenberg’s musical opens in a filmic style, with rolling credits beamed onto the back wall. The overture, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, sounds thin when compared to the live orchestra that kicks in as soon as we are transported back to the distant past. According to the surtitles we are in Heatherhill, Ireland. The villagers are celebrating, dancing a reel to the Gaelic inspired music, complete with pipes and bodhrán. The shadow of a sorceress hangs over the town in the shape of Gwendolethe. She singles out Laura, granting her, not just the gift of eternal life, but also the ability to travel through time. Mo Lombardo’s pantomime villain portrayal of Gwendolethe lets us know that this could be a curse rather than a superpower, but Jane Patterson’s ingenuous Laura accepts the temptation rather too easily.

The concept is intriguing, and it allows Rosenberg’s score to explore various genres of music. The narrative, however, is random and tenuous as Laura pops up (in fairly rapid succession) in Madrid at the turn of the twentieth century; then a modern-day English orchard; depression-era New Orleans; nineteenth century Paris, and pre-revolution Moscow. In each time and place she meets her suitor yet is given little time to make up her mind. A bit like speed dating, but she has the luxury of being able to go back for a second opinion, and to test their suitability.

With the orchestra visible on stage, the music is sumptuous and delivered with passion by the ensemble cast. Patterson’s pure and ethereal vocals fill the auditorium, complimented by the richness of Lombardo’s beautiful tones. Laura’s childhood sidekick, Maggie, is one to watch out for, wonderfully played by Emma Daly who also provides a generous helping of comic relief, aided by Brian May’s Patrick. Their love story is a sub plot that has more resonance and realism than Laura’s central quest for true love.

Each of Laura’s suitors is given a song or two of their own. Tobi Kaye’s New Orleans struggling playwright has a wonderful moment with a smoky, bluesy number, while Keith Hanley’s matador Salvador delivers a dashing flamenco, surrounded by his sultry gypsy dancers – looking and sounding gorgeous. Finn O’Callaghan is having great fun as Louis, the impressionist artist from Montmartre and Barra Convey certainly camps it up as Mikail the Bolshoi ballet dancer. In the midst of them all is Allan, the upright English vicar, earnestly played by Lenny Turner with an off-putting air of self-righteousness which you can forgive and forget as soon as he sings.

The balance is strongly in favour of the music, which is a delight with its blend of cultures and drama, folk and fantasy. We care little for the heroine’s plight, however, and find it difficult to believe that the characters could actually be in love with her. Luke Morgan’s direction occasionally hinders the proceedings. It is already a long show, but a lot of time could be shaved just by speeding up the scene transitions. Ultimately, we are not fully invested enough to be rooting for Laura. The disconnected scenarios in which she finds herself are devoid of emotion. And when the characters somehow all stray from their own time zones to come together like a shortlist of auditionees, it is a touch embarrassing waiting to see if they are going to be swiped from Laura’s ‘Tinder’ mindset.

There is a very neat twist in the closing moments – a condition to the sorceress’ bargain that is very cleverly revealed and manifested. It puts a smile on your face and leaves a strong impression, but for a tale that explores immortality it does seem to take an eternity to get there. There is no lack of talent in “For the Lack of Laura”. It could benefit, however, from being a sung-through musical in which we can savour being lost in the music rather than adrift in the mixed-up messages of its narrative. At its heart there is a musical gem.

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY

Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★

“for the most part the characters are gently engaging”

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY

Theatre Royal Windsor then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 25th July 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY

DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY

FOR THE LACK OF LAURA

Shaw Theatre

★★★

“At its heart there is a musical gem”