Lizzy, Darcy & Jane @ Harbour Theatre

I am surprised that no-one reviewed this show while it was still in season. I did put off my own attendance, waiting to see what sort of general response it had, but finally got myself along to see the last night of it. While my taste in literary/dramatic works is I think fairly catholic, I must admit that the Austens, Brontes and DuMauriers of this world are on the outer edge of my disc of appreciation. Nevertheless, I was attracted to the idea of a drama in which an author interacted with her own creations in a truly authentic manner. In this play, the central character is Jane Austen, novelist and unmarried woman of her time. Her emotional life is divided between her art and the pursuit of a suitable match for herself. When faced with material life choices, she calls for counsel from her fictitious characters, which while readily given, usually amounts to graphic demonstrations of the pros and cons of the situation in quo, leading to a wise, if not necessarily happy result. The playwright obviously knew her subject inside out. I was impressed with the lavish simplicity of the set and light design, in the way it allowed the real and fictitious characters to intermingle without actually making contact. The acting was uniformly very good, with special praise for Olivia Darby who, as Jane, seemed to be onstage throughout the play. Well done, all.