This evening was the first of only two performances of the one-man play, 'Being Mr. Wickham' at Mold's Theatr Clwyd. The play is 70 minutes' long without interval, and we were promised a chance to meet the 'real' George Wickham, infamous womanising 'villain' of Jane Austen's most famous novel, 'Pride And Prejudice'.
A little over 25 years after Adrian Lukis played George Wickham in a TV adaptation of the drama, he now returns to the character and asks; what happens to a rake when he can rake no more? What bacame of the loveable villain when he turned 60 years old? Lukis plays the Georgian gentleman with polished ease, and we happily enter his world, as we learn about the escapades of not just his character but others also who touched his life (either taken from Austen or imagined based on the novel) up until the now.
Further information about people such as Elizabeth Bennett, Darcy and Denny are interwoven with his own life history, and how he managed to not just simply survive, but lived, and lived well.
Lukis is a truly engaging actor, and we are captivated by his wonderful command of the stage - we are fully invested in his story, such is the skill of his storytelling. The one thing I would say however, is that Lukis was quite quiet at times and needed to project his voice further into the auditorium. Years of acting in front of a camera has obviously numbed his obvious but latent vocal prowess.
Further, I would also say that if you know little or nothing of Pride And Prejudice, and have no idea who George Wickham is, you will find this play a little difficult to follow. Prior knowledge of the characters and their relationships is something of a pre-requisite to fully understand and enjoy this production.
A little over 25 years after Adrian Lukis played George Wickham in a TV adaptation of the drama, he now returns to the character and asks; what happens to a rake when he can rake no more? What bacame of the loveable villain when he turned 60 years old? Lukis plays the Georgian gentleman with polished ease, and we happily enter his world, as we learn about the escapades of not just his character but others also who touched his life (either taken from Austen or imagined based on the novel) up until the now.
Further information about people such as Elizabeth Bennett, Darcy and Denny are interwoven with his own life history, and how he managed to not just simply survive, but lived, and lived well.
Lukis is a truly engaging actor, and we are captivated by his wonderful command of the stage - we are fully invested in his story, such is the skill of his storytelling. The one thing I would say however, is that Lukis was quite quiet at times and needed to project his voice further into the auditorium. Years of acting in front of a camera has obviously numbed his obvious but latent vocal prowess.
Further, I would also say that if you know little or nothing of Pride And Prejudice, and have no idea who George Wickham is, you will find this play a little difficult to follow. Prior knowledge of the characters and their relationships is something of a pre-requisite to fully understand and enjoy this production.
Lukis proved to be a most personable and engaging raconteur, and the 70 minutes in his company flew by. A short Q + A with Lukis was offered to patrons after a short break.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
On - 8.10.21
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