Pride and Prejudice

Written by: Syeda Ramsha Wasti

Are you one of those who missed out on the play ‘Pride and Prejudice’ which took place at IBA on the 12th of December under the banner of IBA’s literary society? Well, don’t you worry and put your best clothes on because I am going to take you on a ride down my memory lane so that you know exactly how the play was. Oh, if you are thinking that this article would be full of compliments, then you are mistaken because it’s time for an honest critique.

So I stepped into the IBA’s auditorium around 5.30, and was surprised to see that most of the seats were occupied. This was indicative of how excited people were about it, and that the marketing team had surely done a good job. Take a bow, MT. The excitement was further developed in the crowd when Omore, the esteemed sponsors, started distributing shirts on every correct answer. Also, a few lucky people had a card hidden in their seats which earned them a gift hamper. Oh, how saddened I was when I wasn’t one of them. I thought it was a very good way to honor the sponsors without whom the play wouldn’t have been possible.

The auditorium was filled with cheers and hooting when the curtains went up and the Bennet Family kicked off the play. The annoying Mrs. Bennet, the ironic and cynical Mr. Bennett, the hyper Lydia, the calm and pretty Jane, and the elegant and simple Ms. Elizabeth stole the show. Mr. Bennet was the most audible one because of the clarity of his dialogues, and high-pitched voice. Mrs. Bennet, on the other hand, was really embarrassing, excitable, and totally absorbed in the character. By the end of the play, we were thoroughly annoyed by Mrs. Bennet’s hunt of rich men for her daughters.
Jane’s innocence and tears, Elizabeth’s comforting and soothing voice, Lydia’s flirting with the officers of the militia were commendable indeed. However, I believe that natural accents could have made the play much more comprehensible.
And then we had Ms. Caroline Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley and of course, Mr. Wickham. Ms. Caroline Bingley’s beautiful dresses, mean comments, and bold flirting showed that she was perfectly in character! Our Mr. Darcy’s stuck up, and anti-social attitude with his famous dialogue of ‘inferior blood’ was phenomenal, but it would have been much better had he kept his head up and faced the audience for once. Regardless, the heated and romantic moments with bold declaration of love between Darcy and Elizabeth stole the show. But Mr. Bingley was undoubtedly my favorite male actor because of his spontaneous and natural acting. Again, natural accents instead of the British ones could have done wonders.

I have chosen to describe Lady Catherine separately because despite her little role, she left a huge impact on the audience. With her haughtiness and arrogance, she was so in character!

And guys, let’s not forget our prop boys who were irritating at times, but kept the play going with their humorous postures and acts. Also, hats off to the choreographer for the amazing dances throughout the play.
The closing ceremony after the play was filled with joy and recognition but it would have been better had the organizers memorized the names of the chief guests properly. I sincerely hope that Faisal Qureshi, Maria Wasti, and Azra Mohiuddin did not mind it. Well, it didn’t seem like they got offended because their remarks and closing speeches were polite and full of compliments.
I still believe that the play could have been much better had there been natural accents, no technical problems, and less squeaky voices. Nonetheless, it was a great and commendable effort. And as Saadya, the director of the play, said, “Our cast is full of freshmen actors and this is their first performance at IBA.” At this point, you must know that Saadya took over the role of Mrs. Bennet two days before the play because the real Mrs. Bennett, Misal, fell terribly sick. We sincerely hope that she gets well soon, and the ceremony itself ended with prayers and well wishes for Misal.