Austen parody is outdoor theatre at its most enjoyable

THIS kooky Jane Austen mash-up from Brendan Murray is full of fun.

Ed Metcalfe’s simple but ingenious set design takes us to a range of Oxfordshire locations, including North Harwell Abbey, the home of the widowed Mrs Bonnet and her three daughters.

Costumes from Rosemary Mills transport us back to the Regency period.

Austenite themes of marriage and fortune are at the centre of the drama.

A strong cast carries the comedy impressively. Kate Phillips is truly splendid as the fussy, distracted Mrs Bonnet, keen to marry off her daughters and retain a roof over her head.

Lucinda Kenrick exercises comical restraint as her long-suffering daughter, Lizzie. Cheeky maid Betsy is played with perfect pitch by the very funny Christine Jones.

Ian Brace is exquisitely creepy as the clerical bore, Reverend Weakly, who threatens to turn the Bonnets out of their home.

Much hangs on marriage. Russell Bailey is larger than life as Lottie Bonnet and very amusing as bare-chested Captain Knightly.

Alice Hope is captivating as youngest daughter Lucy Bonnet and also pert and funny as the unconventional Fanny Fitz-Tightly, eager to pair off with the entrepreneurial Mr Daly (an engaging Ryan Fannin). Eccentric Lady Kitty Fitz-Tightly is elegantly played by Rosemary Mills. For a forthcoming ball, Lady Kitty has secured the services of Beethoven himself: Ed Metcalfe is very funny in this role.

The storyline is fashioned around a series of coincidences and bringing plot devices into the foreground is part of the comedy.

The story culminates with comic misunderstandings over a note but, at the stables at dawn, all is resolved.

The witty script is packed full of wordplay and innuendo. There are running jokes and a lot of hilarious juggling with language, including typical Austen expressions and a very clever exchange based entirely on makes of car.

Mark Wilkin’s crisp direction makes Mansfield Park & Ride another marvellous fixture in the glorious Kenton Summer Roadshow.

I don’t know if the Austenites would approve of this iconoclastic parody, but I loved it. This is outdoor theatre at its most enjoyable.

Susan Creed