By Randi Bjornstad
Oregon Contemporary Theatre rings in the 2023 holiday season with Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, which will be onstage from Dec. 1-17. The story line is based on familiar characters of Jane Austen’s classic 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice.
If the phrase “Christmas at Pemberley” sounds familiar, you might have seen Parts 1 and/or 2 at OCT, but this one, Georgianna & Kitty, is Part 3 of a trilogy and hasn’t been produced locally before.
Craig Willis, OCT’s producing artistic director, gives his assurance that it doesn’t matter if you haven’t seen the prequels.
“Georgiana & Kitty stands on its own as a delicious holiday morsel,” Willis said in announcing the show, “and you don’t need to have seen the first two Pemberley stories to enjoy this standalone adventure.”
At the same time, the basic theme of the trilogy continues, that “meddlesome families and outmoded expectations won’t stop determined friends from forging their own way in a holiday tale filled with music, ambition, sisterhood, and love.”
Since it is the end of a trilogy, two actors who appeared in the first two segments are returning to reprise their original roles. They are Andrew Beck and Samantha Holden, joined by Katie Worley Beck, who has appeared before on the OCT stage in The Great Gatsby and Ordinary Days. Actors who are performing for the first time with OCT are Abrianna Aydee, Madeline Braun, Quaye Dydasco, Noah J Fox, Eve Q, and Jessica Jae Unker.
The Christmas at Pemberley trilogy is the work of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Gunderson lives in Atlanta, Ga., and Melcon has spent much of her career in California. Both are widely acclaimed — Gunderson has been a recipient of the Macarthur “genius” fellowship, and Melcon has been involved with preparing more than 30 productions nationwide, including six world premieres.
Elizabeth Helman is director for OCT’s Georgiana & Kitty, with music direction by Delos L. Erickson, sound and projection by Bradley Branam, scenic design by Jeffrey Cook, costumes by Jeanette DeJong, props design by Steen V. Mitchell, lighting by Michael Peterson, and dialect coaching by Tom Moseman. Riley Allen is production stage manager, with assistance by Audrey Sullivan on stage crew, and Laura Tuffli with hair and wardrobe.
Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley
When: Evenings at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3-4, 7-9, 14-16; matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 17
Where: Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 W. Broadway, Eugene
Tickets: $45 on opening night (Dec. 3) includes post-performance reception; other performances, $25/$39/$49, students $20 with current ID; available online at octheatre.org or by calling 541-465-1506
