Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Step aside, Mr Darcy, it’s Shane’s turn to pop question
AREAL-LIFE Mr Darcy stunned theatre-goers after he interrupted a live performance of Pride and Prejudice to pop the question to his actress girlfriend on stage.
A heartwarming video captured the moment romantic Shane Grant, 31, got down on one knee to propose to his partner, 27-year-old Geneviève Lowe.
Geneviève had been playing leading lady Elizabeth Bennet in the interpretation of the Jane Austen classic at an open-air theatre in Worcester on July 14.
But she was unaware that her boyfriend of three years had arranged with the director for the play to have an alternative ending.
And Geneviève was given the surprise of her life when at the point in the show that Mr Darcy is supposed to propose to her, Shane was waiting in the wings instead.
In the video, he then appears on stage with a ring to pop the question to a stunned Geneviève, who says “yes” before the pair embrace in front of the audience, cast and crew.
The pair, of Wythall, Worcestershire, who met on dating app Tinder, now plan to get married next summer.
Shane, a property manager, said: “I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to be able to ask the most amazing person to marry me in such a
spectacular setting. And the chance, even if for the briefest of moments to be Geneviève’s Mr Darcy.
“She thinks I was brave for getting up on stage to ask her, I just consider myself lucky that she said yes.
“The idea came to me in December, watching Geneviève in the pantomime at the Swan Theatre, Worcester.
“At the end of every performance, Robin Hood would propose to her. It pained me to see someone else proposing to her.
“I was really lucky it was Pride and Prejudice for the next one.
“I think she was a bit shocked but it’s great it all went well.”
Geneviève, who also works as a piano teacher, added: “It was such a beautiful moment. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect proposal.
“I was so happy to be surrounded by the loveliest of people, I am so very grateful for everyone at Worcester Rep, and to the audience for helping make the moment so special.
“Earlier in the year, we had been to have a look at rings, and then it went quiet. I thought, ‘ Maybe it won’t happen for a while’.
“Ben the director came into the dressing room in the interval of the final show and said a VIP has asked if we can redo the ending at the end of the show.
“It was a complete shock. I never expected him to come up on stage. There were 250 people in the audience.
“It was completely out of character for Shane.
“There were a couple of ‘ oohs’ from the audience and then when we said ‘yes’ we got a big, nice clap.”
The Worcester REP play, called Pride And (Quite A Lot Of ) Prejudice, was based loosely on the 1813 romantic novel, with jokes added to the script by the company.
A theatre spokesman said: “Everyone agrees that this really was the perfect way to round off one of the most successful Worcester Repertory Company shows at The Commandery to date.”
She thinks I was brave for getting up on stage to ask her, I just consider myself lucky she said yes
SHANE GRANT