(Above: Left to right, Andrew Beck as Fitzwilliam Darcy; Audrey Eittel as Cassie; and Scott Machado as George Wickham; photo by Cameron Jackson for OCT)

By Randi Bjornstad

Pemberley is best known as the country estate owned by Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, in which the rich country gentleman meets, falls in love with and eventually marries Elizabeth Bennet, despite her somewhat less-elevated social beginnings.

(The fictional estate also played a role in a 2011 murder mystery novel by well-known writer P.D. James, whose book, Death Comes to Pemberley, continued the Darcy-Bennet family plot line, but adding a later murder that occurs at the house.)

But there’s also another spinoff, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, a play onstage at Oregon Contemporary Theatre from Dec. 2 to 18, 2022, which lets the hoity-toity pursue their upstairs revels, instead focusing on the servants below stairs who have their own challenges related to the running of the house during the most festive holiday of the year.

Those problems, of course, stem from the foibles of the upstairs crowd, which bears a bit of explanation. A one-time favored steward at the Darcys’ Pemberley estate, George Wickham, was given many opportunities, both social and financial, but turned out to be a gambler and philanderer. In fact, he seduced Elizabeth Darcy’s youngest sister, Lydia, and Fitzwilliam Darcy forced him — employing both legal threats and financial incentives — to marry Lydia, who loved him. However, Wickham was banned from ever coming back to Pemberley, which the innocent Lydia of course cannot understsand on the part of her family.

So amidst the Christmas preparations, who of course should show up at Pemberley but George Wickham, and it falls to the below stairs staff — longtime housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds, new servant girl Cassie, and groomsman Brian — to keep him out of the sight of the family upstairs while still carrying out all their own responsibilities.

OCT presented an earlier incarnation of the Pemberley holiday story, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, in 2018. Both Pemberley plays are the work of playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.

Craig Willis, producing artistic director at OCT, describes both of the companion plays as “a top-notch job of capturing the wit and style of Jane Austen, with an extra shot of festive escapism.”

Elizabeth Helman directs the OCT production of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley.

The cast features OCT veterans Sharon Sless, Andrew Beck, Chelsey Megli, and Scott Machado, with OCT debuts by Wyatt King, Audrey Eittel and Samantha Holden.

The production team includes sound-and-projection design by Bradley Branam, scenic design by Jeffrey Cook, costume design by Jeanette DeJong, and lighting design by Janet Rose. Riley Allen is production stage manager.

At OCT — The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley

When: Pay-what-you can performances (suggested $15) at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1; opening night at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 ($40 includes post-performance reception); additional shows 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, 8-10, and 15-17; matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 18.

Where: Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 W. Broadway, Eugene

Tickets: $20, $34, $44; student discounts available. Purchase tickets online at octheatre.org or through the box office at541-465-1506.