Bedlam presents “Are the Bennet Girls Ok?” – Expect the Unexpected

A Contemporary Feminist Look at Pride and Prejudice

By Alix Cohen

“Oh my God, everyone here sucks!” exclaims Kitty Bennet, bored at a Ball. (Violeta Picayo)

‘Decidedly not the familiar classic, Bedlam’s production is a whip smart, irreverent look at life through the eyes of the five Bennet women and those who orbit them. Playwright Emily Breeze avoids revisiting the source material before writing a draft. Not all events are recognizable. There’s laughter and poignancy.

Stairs and balcony enable varied, realistic perspective. Hundreds of tiny, partially burnt candles along the stage edge and atop the piano are, even unlit, evocative. (John McDermott) Excellent Costumes by Mariah Anzaldo Hale emerge period perfect and flattering. Everything visible puts us in Regency England.

Speech, however, is contemporary, colloquial- and dense. The Bennets have a lot on their minds. We hear gossip, opinions, outbursts, exasperation, expressions of support, yearning…Dialogue contains that which the girls might have felt but were too well brought up to say in previous versions. They’re independent thinkers, feisty and confident. A parenthetic rhyming game arrives fresh. They swear.

Mrs. Bennet (Zuzanna Szadowski) is determined that her girls marry well, both for their own sakes and to support the family. To this end, enthusiasm bordering on desperation eliminates boundaries when speaking to eligible men. She’s an irrepressible embarrassment, even snapping at her daughters when they attempt to divert her.

Turning down a valid proposal is unthinkable. “What gives you the right to prevent any chance for us?!” Mrs. B. incredulously asks. Szadowski is equally credible fawning over marriage candidates, tipsy, angry, comforting, and in despair. Spoiler alert- Mr. Bennet, who never appears, dies.

We first meet the family at a Ball: Jane (Shayvawn Webster) is grounded and keeps her own council. She’s confused about Bingham’s intentions as, frankly, without a hint, are we. The actress emanates grace. Lizzie (Elyse Steingold) acts impulsively, setting off sparks, complicating matters, but has a big heart and a solid sense of self. Steingold shows us a panoply of emotional colors.

Mary (Masha Breeze) knows she’s likely to be an old maid, but displays pro-active pluck. She plays piano and improvises songs pining after one of the men. The role is depicted with gawky originality. Kitty (Violeta Picayo) is observant, often acting as a confidante. Naïve, young Lydia (Caroline Grogan) is wide-eyed and entitled.

Mr. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana (Caroline Campos), who has a Charles Ludlam-like meltdown, and Lizzie’s best friend, Charlotte Lucas (Deychen Volino-Gyetsa), a calm, wry presence, round out the women. All performers are excellent

Fitzwilliam Darcy, whose wishy-washy opening line is to object to someone’s yelling, is curiously least seen, least defined, and not very dashing. In this version, Lizzie’s initial marriage refusal is perfectly understandable. Darcy’s redemption towards the end is very different than the original.

His friend, Charles Bingley (the girls call him “Bing-Bong”) is also unspecific except for being a gentleman. Perhaps we’re meant to see the class as often dull and very alike.

Rogue George Wickham chews gum, oozes around a room, and thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Cousin, Mr. Collins, who will inherit the very house in which the Barrets live, is effectively manifest on the spectrum. We’re not sure whether Breeze means us to sympathize or laugh. All are adroitly played by Edoardo Benzoni.

Miscommunication drives conflicts and character development through misunderstandings, withheld truths, and constraints on expression. Emily Breeze’s interpretation offers intriguing, complex character and few victims. Young women stand up for themselves. (This is not a polemic.) The piece is rich and captivating; occasionally dizzying.

Eric Tucker directs with a lively, wide lens. Like life, there’s usually something going on elsewhere. Extreme emotion provokes broad physical movement, some vaudevillian. Characters frequently speak at once. Comedy is well paced. Sobering moments land skillfully. The curtain call is faaabulous!

Sound Design (Eric Tucker) includes atmospheric classical music, but also screeching, electronic dissonance and a bit of Antonio Carlos Jobim. I could have happily done without either of the latter. Voices are pristine.
Lighting Design (Eric Southern & Cheyenne Sykes) directs focus and mood without our awareness.

Bedlam returns to the work of Jane Austen, having garnered immense acclaim for their world premiere production of Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, which Tucker also directed.

Photos by Ari Espay
Opening Photo: Edoardo Benzoni,  Elyse Steingold, Deychen Volino-Gyetsa, Caroline Grogan, Violeta Picayo, Zuzanna Szadkowski

Bedlam presents Are the Bennet Girls Ok?
By Emily Breeze
Adapted from the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Directed by Eric Tucker
Through October 26, 2025
West End Theatre, 263 W. 86th Street