‘Miss Bennet’ shines brightly

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and the Bennet sisters are gathering at Pemberley to celebrate.

Novelist Jane Austen’s darlings are all married and taking their places among the upper echelons of society — except middle sister Mary (Amelia Fischer). Bookish and high-strung, Mary would rather spend her time mastering a Beethoven concerto than swooning over a man. But when Arthur de Bourgh ( Jonathan Horne), a single, newly appointed lord and science scholar, arrives at Pemberley, these two nerds bond over a love of maps and conversations about moral philosophy. Youngest sister Lydia (Devon Hales) has her own plans for Mr. de Bourgh, but when the letter she slips into his book lands in the wrong hands, a series of farcical mishaps erupt, much in the style of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

Completely out of sorts and totally smitten, these two bookworms must learn that there is no order or logic when it comes to love.

Theatrical Outfit’s production of “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” transports the audience back to a time when everything was trimmed in lace, and bringing a tree indoors and decorating it was an unusual tradition. Inspired by “Pride & Prejudice,” this sequel, written by Atlanta native Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, finds the Bennet sisters a few years after the novel’s conclusion. Lizzy ( Julissa Sabino) and Mr. Darcy (Lee Osorio) are nesting at Pemberley. Jane (Maria Rodriguez-Sager) and Bingley ( Juan Carlos Unzueta) are expecting their first baby. Lydia is spending Lord Wickham’s money to avoid dealing with his absence as he travels. And Mary is filling her mind with facts to avoid filling her heart with feelings. Kitty never makes an appearance in “Miss Pemberley,” and Gunderson and Melcon handle that potential plot hole with comedic prowess.

Though the play is set in 1815, this comedy of manners feels both contemporary and appro-