An excellent company of actors helps elevate a so-so new play by Ken Ludwig at the Westport Country Playhouse. Pride & Prejudice, Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley, a wordy title that will have trouble fitting on most theatre marquees, is making its world premiere in Westport, and Ludwig should be pleased by the polished production director Emily Mann has delivered.
Ken Ludwig is the prolific author of 37 plays and musicals, with his most popular (and arguably best) being his first, Lend Me a Tenor, in 1985. Since that hit comedy, Ludwig’s track record has been hit or miss (Moon Over Buffalo, The Gods of Comedy, A Fox on the Fairway), even as he remains currently one of the most produced playwrights in the country. His latest play is called a sequel of sorts to the Jane Austen classic, following the marriage of Elizabeth (Delphi Borich, a delight) to the dashing Mr. Darcy (Tony Roach) as they settle into their estate at Pemberley. Elisabeth is thoroughly bored, but when an unexpected house guest, the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte arrives (the invaluable Reg Rogers), things perk up considerably.
The mere appearance of the brilliant Reg Rogers in a play immediately makes it more interesting than it has any right to be. Having just wowed Connecticut audiences in the Yale Rep revival of “Rhinoceros” last season, Rogers arrives on the scene as the petulant but oddly romantic Napoleon, making the most of a script that often seems to be deciding on what tone to set. Is this a comedy, satire, romantic drama, farce? It has elements of all throughout the play, but is often confusing and never provides the big laughs that would put it solidly in the comedy category. This remains a disappointment.
In addition to Rogers, Borich embraces Elizabeth’s best qualities of liberation and she makes for a winning heroine here. The fine character actress Kristine Nielsen has fun playing Lady Catherine, a gorgon who struts about Pemberley making demands with a bellow that shakes the rafters. Roach is a bit bland as Darcy, but still muddles admirably through some of the play’s more questionable moments, especially late in the action when he is the victim of violence that makes little sense in the playing.
Beowulf Boritt’s beautifully detailed set design, bathed in Jeff Croiter and Katy Atwell’s warm lighting, shows us a Pemberley well worth moving in to, and Jennifer von Mayrhauser’s elegant costuming is picture-perfect. Pride & Prejudice… (please don’t make me write out that whole title!) has its moments, but Ludwig, hopefully, still views his latest effort as a work in progress with serious rewrites in its future.
Pride & Prejudice… continues at the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court in Westport, Connecticut through November 7, 2026. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: (203) 227-4177 or visit: www.westportplayhouse.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
