A Discussion with Luke Langfeldt, Portrayer of Mr. Darcy in Kate Hamill’s Adaptation of Pride & Prejudice at Theatre in the Round

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

We have such a treat coming to the neighborhood – Theatre in the Round Players (TRP) opens their 74th season with Kate Hamill’s Pride & Prejudice September 12 – October 5. You must order your tickets now to not miss this comedic reworking of Jane Austen’s classic novel. We all have a favorite Mr. Darcy – but Luke Langfeldt as this Mr. Darcy has his work cut out for him – he’s the only actor playing it “straight.” We talked to him about playing an iconic role, not laughing out loud and what’s next for him (he’s moving to Portland, OR) so don’t miss the chance to see this performance!

Luke LangfeldtQ:  How do you balance Darcy’s iconic aloofness with the physical comedy demanded in this version?

A:  It’s really about remaining true to the way a man of that period would move and behave in these social settings while finding opportunities to use timing to create moments of levity. How can I draw out or speed up a reaction or gesture to make it land differently? And as with Darcy a lot of it is about reacting to these other characters who have no concern whatsoever for decorum or personal space.

Q:  What is it like to be only actor playing it “straight.”

A:  I bite my tongue and try not to look directly at the funny thing. That’s how I get through a lot of the shenanigans the other actors get up to on stage. 

The easy part of playing the straight is that I never get called on to do some absurd bit that’s really funny, but would also require me to spend all week completely reworking Darcy from the ground up as a result. Because you always need to be able to justify everything your character does on stage - no matter how silly it is - and you need it to be internally consistent throughout the show.

The hard part of playing the straight is watching all the other actors reveling in those absurd and silly bits and not getting to join in on the fun. Thankfully there are still some very genuine moments between Darcy and Elizabeth where playing it straight really pays off to lend emotional weight to the moment. And that makes it worth feeling like a stick in the mud the rest of the time.

Q:  Do you find any parallels between Darcy and modern "rom-com" characters?

A:  Like a lot of rom-com characters, Darcy has to get knocked down a bit to learn a lesson about the way he acts. I think Darcy is a pretty unique character in that he knows that he wants Elizabeth very early in the story. In a lot of modern rom-coms the characters don’t see the truth about their feelings until the third act. Darcy isn’t unaware of his feelings, he's just really not comfortable around strangers and quickly gets defensive about it which leads to him making a terrible first impression.  

Q:  What’s the most ridiculous or unexpected thing Darcy does in this production?

A:  It’s got to be the first proposal to Elizabeth, right? I think because the story is so shaped by Elizabeth’s perception, Darcy proposing is always going to feel like it comes out of nowhere. Even having read the book before I got the script, I was still surprised when it happened. Clearly Darcy is doing his version of flirting in the scene before, but it still feels like quite a bit more than a hop, skip and jump to “you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” 

Q:  What was it like to play romantic tension through comedy instead of brooding drama?

A:  I think it makes it easier for Darcy to blame others for the missteps that happen along the way. “Elizabeth and I were having a lovely, romantic moment until everyone else ruined it with their ridiculous behavior.” It also makes it easier for him to continue to see only what he wants to see with regards to how Elizabeth feels towards him.

Q:  Did you have to ‘unlearn’ anything from the classic film versions of Darcy to play him in this?

A:  The only one I have seen is the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice with Matthew Mcfayden as Darcy. I watched it with my wife months before being cast or even seeing that TRP was doing the show. Admittedly I mostly was trying to see if I could spot Tom Wambsgans from Succession in Darcy at all. I plan on watching the BBC version with Colin Firth once we’ve finished our run, but I always avoid watching other actors interpretations until I’m done with a character. I don’t want to end up imitating their work or making unnatural choices just to make my version seem different from someone else’s.

Q:  What do you hope the Theatre in the Round audience feels about Darcy by the final scene?

A:  I hope they feel like Darcy would be a great friend to have once you get through his very thick shell. Because Darcy is a good person and he doesn’t mean to insult or hurt anyone. He just has some truly horrible habits he’s picked up to protect himself from the constant judgment he sees in high society and to avoid being used by people who only want his money. And of course, I hope they want him to get together with Elizabeth. We’re in trouble if most of the audience isn’t invested in the resolution of the story.

Q:  What’s next for you?

A:  I am moving to Portland, OR about a week after Pride & Prejudice ends. My wife, Peyton, accepted a job to be a lead designer for Nike’s womens’ basketball team, she’s a rock star fashion designer. So, we’ll be spending about 24 hours on the road with our 2 dogs (Mac and Rosie), 2 cats (Moose and Yumi) and pet turtle, Toph. Hopefully there’s still room for us somewhere in the vehicle!