By Jennifer Mustoe
Interview with Greg Balla, who will be playing Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pioneer Theater Company‘s upcoming Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley production, opening on November 30, 2018.
Balla, a personable and fun person to talk to, told me a bit of his background. He was born and raised in Long Island, resides in Brooklyn, and studied at Fordham, Lincoln Center. His first big job was Blue Man Group, which he played in NYC, Boston, and Chicago. He’s done off Broadway, and company stuff.
Pioneer came to New York City to hold auditions, so most of the cast is from New York, though there are two actors from University of Utah and he has found that a delight. He’s never traveled to Salt Lake City, and has been surprised and delighted to see mountains out the window. Everybody is so nice and polite, and coming from New York, he found Utah’s outgoing and friendly nature somewhat disarming. But he loves the new energy.
What drew him to the role of Fitzwilliam Darcy is he hasn’t done period work in a while. He said, “The play is so well-written <by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon>, and tells the story in a funny, charming, and engaging way.” Balla was somewhat familiar with Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice. He said, “There’s something about Mr. Darcy, he’s different than the novel. He’s not sociable in the book, but Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (which actually focuses on Lizzie’s younger sister, the bookish, awkward Mary) takes place after Lizzie and Darcy have married and it’s their first Christmas together. In the play, we will see the positive effect Lizzie has had on her reticent husband. He has thawed, slowly becoming more sociable. She is “the ax to the ice,” according to Balla.
One of the interesting challenges of playing this role is, when you are playing a well-known literary character, there is comparison. He advises, “Take a look at all the source material–absorb it and then forget it, and read the script. Play your intentions and against other actors.” He had a little anxiety, but has enjoyed discovering the ways to interact with Lizzie and her sisters and his friends and the new characters introduced in the show. Arthur DeBurgh, a distant cousin, is one of these new characters. Darcy is very loyal, takes Arthur under his wing and is something of a father figure, like with his sister in the book. When Darcy entertains Jane, Lizzie’s elder sister, he wants a family of his own. (Jane Bingley is eight months pregnant.)
Though the play is set at Christmas time–December 22-25, it doesn’t have a Christmas theme per se. We see the family around the holiday–it’s like “real” holidays, negotiating people we don’t like, how to manage with each other, the loves, the likes, the challenges, and the joys, etc. You see everything that even modern families manage during the holidays and we’ll be able to identify with the story. The message is inclusivity, independence, women’s rights, and one of hope and of love. He especially likes the way the plAy and its characters treat marriage, that marriage is a joy and not an arranged situation. It’s discovered, and it’s a journey. For both Darcy and Bingley–their strong, opinionated, very modern (for that age) women are foils. Darcy is challenged–and Balla is delighted to be able to show that Lizzie and Darcy now complement each other. He is the yenta to the whole family and is trying to facilitate the relationships.
It’s a type of play that you don’t need to think much. Just enjoy the beauty of it. Patrons don’t need to have read the book, you’ll still love it. The play is very accessible for families, takes place at a gorgeous facility, and he says that just to see the incredibly beautiful costumes is a thrill on its own. He adds that those seeing the show will love the little twist in the plot about the Christmas tree.
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Another fun aspect about Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley that we didn’t discuss is this is true fan fiction–taking a story and creating a new “chapter” with characters and a setting already established. Those who love Christmas, and love Jane Austen need to grab their loved ones and see this delightful production at the Pioneer Theater Company.
Review will be published on December 1, 2018.
Merry Christmas!
Pioneer Theatre Company will present Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley By Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
November 30 – December 15, 2018, Mondays – Thursdays 7:00 PM, Fridays-Saturdays, 7:30 PM, Saturday matinees 2:00 PM
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
$30 – $45 in advance, and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show, Kids in grades K-12 are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays
Contact: 801-581-6961, Open 10:00 AM – 6:00 AM, Mon. – Fri.
Pioneer Theater Company Facebook Page
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley Facebook Event
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