Theatre Royal Brighton Review: Death Comes to Pemberley

Summary

Rating: ★★★

Running Dates: Tuesday 2nd September- Saturday 6th September
Where to see it: Theatre Royal Brighton
Duration: 2.30 hr (incl. interval)
Keywords:  regency, murder mystery, Jane Austen, period piece

Photography by Pamela Raith

Review

Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in this whodunit regency murder mystery. 

Elizabeth and FitzWilliam Darcy’s idyllic married life is shattered to pieces when, the night before the annual Pemberley Ball, a man is murdered in the Pemberley woods. The main and sole suspect, George Wickham, pleads for his innocence as the man’s blood dries on his hands. A web of  lies and secrets is slowly uncovered as everyone searches for the truth, for the culprit. 

Based on the novel by P.D. James, Death Comes to Pemberley is the perfect fit for Jane Austen fans and for any Poirot-wannabes out there. It’s infused with romance, drama, and a dark fog of mystery that envelopes both characters and audience. 

Secrets and lies are perfectly balanced with a sprinkle of humor, most of which we owe to the performance of Todd Boyce (Selwyn Hardcastle). His wit and sarcasm bring the right amount of light and comedy to the show, never failing to get a laugh from the audience. 

Photography by Pamela Raith

The show does unfortunately lose some steam towards the end. There’s some excellent build up of suspense and tension, but the payoff at the end is quite unsatisfactory. I wish the story had taken some more risks, instead of the easy, ‘feel good’ ending, that I felt didn’t do justice to the rest of the plot.

Overall, Death Comes to Pemberley  is a fun watch, a nice spin-off for those who watched Pride and Prejudice way too many times. 

See If:  you like regency pieces with a bit of drama and mystery

Stand Out Moments:  Elizabeth and George’s first meeting, right after the murder. It’s a powerful scene that uncovers many layers of tension, family history, resentment, and unrequited love. 

Last Impressions: the perfect mixture of gossip and murder. 

Written by Roberta Guarini

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.