I’ve never laughed that much in a theatre. That’s what you need to know. Not polite, scattered chuckles, but real, involuntary bursts—gasping, shoulder-shaking, face-hurting laughter that came in waves and never quite let up. Two and a half hours flew by at the CAA Theatre, where Pride & Prejudice (sort of) has returned for a summer run. I’ve seen clever shows before. I’ve seen daring. But this was something else entirely: a play that feels like it was built not only to entertain but to gather a roomful of strangers and make them feel like co-conspirators.
Created and co-directed by Isobel McArthur, this irreverent reimagining of Jane Austen’s novel is told from the perspective of five working-class women—the maids, the background characters, the invisible hands that hold everything together. They take over the stage and the story, trading bonnets for microphones and courtship rituals for karaoke. It’s not a parody. It’s not satire. It’s theatre that embraces chaos, craft, and comic timing with equal precision.
Each of the five core performers plays multiple roles with remarkable fluidity, leaping between characters, accents, and emotional tones without missing a beat. Naomi Preston Low’s Elizabeth Bennet anchors the show with control and intelligence, drawing laughs with deadpan delivery and silences as much as with lines. Rhianna McGreevy, toggling between Mrs. Bennet and Darcy, is an astonishing presence—shifting posture, pitch, and rhythm in a heartbeat, and somehow making both roles equally compelling. Eleanor Kane brings a delightful unpredictability to Lydia and Mary; her ability to command the stage with a glance or an off-kilter gesture made her scenes some of the evening’s most surprising.
Emma Rose Creaner and Christine Steel round out the cast with finely calibrated performances. Creaner’s Bingley is a bright, lovable fool whose optimism is both hilarious and strangely touching, while Steel’s Jane and Lady Catherine are played with a quiet mastery that gave even the broadest moments a kind of gravity. All five performers handle the script’s constant tonal pivots with ease—from farce to pathos, from slapstick to sincerity—without ever losing their grip on the audience.
What astonished me most was how well the show managed its emotional register. Yes, it is loud and bawdy (which is what the world needs more of), but beneath the chaos is a tightly constructed commentary on class, agency, and voice—both literal and metaphorical. The pop songs that dot the show’s landscape aren’t throwaway gags. When “You’re So Vain” erupts in a showdown between Elizabeth and Darcy, it feels both entirely ridiculous and, somehow, emotionally honest. “Young Hearts Run Free” lands as a disco interlude and a feminist declaration.
The theatre itself—modest in size, with excellent acoustics—is essential to the experience. Sitting among a crowd that was as audibly delighted as I was made the production feel communal. There was something deeply satisfying in hearing so many others laughing, recognizing the joke, joining in on the ride. It reminded me of what live theatre can do that streaming can’t: it creates a room where the energy feeds back on itself.
By the end, as the final song echoed and the audience stood for its curtain call, I realized I hadn’t looked at my watch once. I had been completely absorbed. Pride & Prejudice (sort of) is a reclamation of her wit, spirit, and sharp social gaze, filtered through the lens of women who rarely get the spotlight. It is both joyful and deliberate in its disorder, and I would see it again in a heartbeat.
Due to popular demand, PRIDE & PREJUDICE*(*SORT OF) by Isobel McArthur, last season’s sold-out, irreverent and hilarious smash-hit comedy will return to Toronto’s CAA Theatre for a strictly limited engagement, July 22 to August 17, 2025.
Tickets will go on sale at 10AM on Friday March 7, 2025 at www.mirvish.com or by phone at 1.800.461.3333.