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Jane Austen’s roguish Mr Wickham imagined in his later years – still a hilarious and cheeky charmer, in a superb solo performance from Adrian Lukis.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Back in 1995, Adrian Lukis first played the roguish George Wickham from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a rascally 30-something, in an acclaimed BBC TV adaptation. Now, several decades later, we meet his Wickham again. It’s the evening of his 60th birthday and in the delightfully intimate space of Jermyn Street Theatre we are entertained with an hour of amusing reflection, as Wickham revisits moments that have shaped his life and made him the man he is.
Wickham takes us back to his difficult early years, to his first meeting with Fitzwilliam Darcy and an explanation of their awkward relationship, and to time spent under a cruel teacher. He tells of Austen’s familiar characters, now envisioned as older, in a less tempestuous time of life – aging. Like the rich red wine he sips throughout, Wickham himself has mellowed somewhat over time. We come to understand rather better a man customarily viewed as a rascally villain as he remembers and values what it is to live life to its fullest; playing the game to win.
This is a crafted piece of writing from Lukis, using sensory, evocative language that draws fully realised images in the mind’s eye. It weaves stories easily around each other, before pulling tight the threads to bind disparate tales engagingly together, with themes extending widely from bullying to warfare, to romance and respectability. Wickham imagines himself as a man reliant on charm to survive in a world of privilege where he is lesser in the pecking order, and it’s a convincing, compelling reading of the character.
Under the precision direction of Guy Unsworth, Lukis plays the eponymous role with a cheeky playfulness and a glint in his eye. Wickham is undoubtedly an impish, mischievous rogue with a penchant for theatricality, but in this superbly textured performance he is an imperfect man who is nonetheless utterly likeable, giving a new insight into an old character. Up close and conspiratorially personal with the audience, Lukis gifts us with laugh out loud humour and delightful interaction, not just through the clever workings of the script, but also via his detailed gestures and revelatory physicality. Sometimes he’s still the small boy he describes, trapped in the body of an aging adult. Then he’s a traumatised war veteran with poignant insight into the tragically ephemeral nature of life; or in a moment of surprise he’s suddenly a man hiding dark secrets. Impressively, Lukis is able to flip back from such depths in an instant, resuming the role of rascally knave and injecting youthful vitality as he spies on the neighbours, eager to see scandal and passion thriving. The whole is composed, measured and velvety smooth. Admirable work indeed.
Libby Watson’s set design works beautifully to evoke a sense of faded Georgian grandeur as Wickham’s world slides towards Victorian propriety, and it creates an intimacy that warmly complements his affable delivery. Meanwhile, Max Pappenheim‘s subtle soundtrack spins a silken thread of period sounds and shifting atmospheres, understatedly pronouncing the passing of life as the clock ticks relentlessly.
Around the playful reimagining of Austen’s characters there’s an affectionate faithfulness to and reverence of the original work, with detailed recognition of how her characters work together, and how their futures might feasibly develop. Those not familiar with Pride and Prejudice may find gaps in their understanding occasionally, but largely the characters in this play can be imagined satisfyingly as representative of all humans, through the finely descriptive writing and excellent delivery. Being Mr Wickham is a rich interrogation of humanity with all its nuances, captured with impeccable skill by Lukis in a delightfully enjoyable and humorous performance.
Written by: Adrian Lukis
Directed by: Guy Unsworth
Design by: Libby Watson
Lighting Design by: Johanna Town
Sound Design by: Max Pappenheim
Produced by: Original Theatre Company
Being Mr Wickham runs at Jermyn Street Theatre until Saturday 22nd June.
Further information and booking can be found here.
