Adrian Lukis reprises his role from the 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice to do what it seems his character Mr Wickham does best – talk about himself.
He fills us in on his introduction to Mr Darcy, long before they meet Elizabeth Bennett, and soberly shares some traumatic childhood boarding school experience before enlightening us on the events after Austen put down the pen.
A one man show can easily be dull, but this self described rascal had the audience raptured, displaying the light and dark side of the situation through rapidly animated speech and thoughtful pauses respectively, accompanied by a timely piano.
A combination of excellent acting and writing, supplied by Adrian and co-writer Catherine Curzon, really makes this side character three-dimensional; a man who’s reached sixty, knows he’s lived a good – if a little scandalous- life and doesn’t pretend to be morally superior. Refreshingly, while not everything said about his wife, Lydia, is flattering, it doesn’t fall into the trap of lazy misogyny under the pathetic guise of “historical accuracy” which goes a long way to redeeming Mr Wickham’s reputation.
You don’t need to be an Austen fan to enjoy Adrian’s dulcet tones and storytelling skills, but it certainly helps when it comes to understanding some of the references, especially when we’re informed of the fate of the other original main characters.
Being Mr Wickham is touring the UK until 6th November. Find your nearest performance here https://www.originaltheatre.com/our-productions/being-mr-wickham/about-the-show
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Katie Reviews 