Dear Jake,
Can I just start by saying how much I adore a he/him lesbian reference this Fringe season? One of many queerdo similarities in both of our pieces, I felt strangely close to you as I rollicked through this 80-minute speed run of a queer Austen fantasia. Something about the community that comes with your pop cultural referential quality – the sharp, special kind that only a queer’s queer can possess. I began my experience that night getting all dolled up in my best P&P garb – and before the lights went down had JUST blurted the phrase “butchfemme Darcy and Lizzie” aloud to my date. Manifestation? Maybe so! Instantaneous audience participation, tall femme “Lezzie Bennett” x her short “he/him butchbaby” Darcy, and a deliciously clownish cast of costars had me instantly and constantly charmed.
The actor tracking and subtle costume switches (a scarf to a shawl, a hat to a cape) were such a deliciously draggy element, and every performer leaned so heavily into physicality despite being on-book – which I found endlessly engaging. It was also lovely to hear you read some of your own writing, as a fellow playwright/performer this season. Watching you react to the beautifully chaotic world onstage was one of my absolute highlights, and truly what I think Philly Fringe is all about.
There was a Rocky Horror midnight-show shadowcast feel to the whole thing, solely because of the collective commitment to the bit. This show had some of the best physical comedy moments I’ve seen onstage in a minute, which was impressive considering the minimalist design. So much story told through pantomime and puppet work and – of course, water and wind effects that had me shaking with laughter. As a girl who hasn’t seen 2005 Pride and Prejudice but read an abridged version in middle school AND has heard everyone and their mother (and my mother) quote “You have bewitched me, body and soul” – I actually believe I had a perfect amount of background information to consume this as my first real Pride and Prejudice experience. Meme lines hit me harder, never knowing what’s coming next while also maybe having seen a shitpost about it once – my cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of the night.
Speaking of – those projections, when weaponized, had me in shambles. The Victorian aesthetic with the occasional meme was something so wholly unique and perfect and it truly tied everything together so nicely. Additionally, I won’t stop thinking of that Cookie Crisp mascot interlude for quite some time, so. Thanks, I guess? It did have me laughing for a few extra minutes longer than everybody else, which was an audience engagement feeling I’ve sorely missed. When theatre has you laughing out loud to a degree that is socially inappropriate – in THIS horrid time – you have to thank your lucky stars. And that I did. Thank you for this joyous, perfect anniversary parody. I’m so glad I was a P&P virgin.
Sincerely, Sara/Shirley 🙂
Jake Lucas is the writer and director of PRIDE and Prejudice at ComedySpotz Philadelphia. Don’t miss the closing performances Sept 27th at 9 pm and Sept 28th at 2 pm.
Sara Mascelli is the writer and performer of The Dirty Shirley Show, which ran Sept 18-26th at the Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake.
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