AZ Theatre Co. revives Jane Austen characters for the holidays

Lydia Wickham returns to the family estate at Pemberley for the holidays in “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley,” which Arizona Theatre Company opened in previews last week. It runs through Dec. 2 at the Temple of Music and Art.

It’s a follow-up to last year’s “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” which brings back the characters of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” two years after the novel ends. Both Christmas comedies were penned by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Veronika Duerr is directing.

“Miss Bennet” focused on the Bennet family holiday get-together as the still-single middle child Mary Bennet navigated her alone-ness and fended off the usual family queries of why she can’t get a man. (Spoiler alert: She finds one.)

“The Wickhams” is more hate than love for the holidays. Baby sister Lydia, the impetuous, boisterous of the Bennet girls who rushed into the arms of the scoundrel George Wickham, returns to her brother-in-law’s estate for the holidays. Her husband is not allowed to join her, which means Lydia is surrounded by family members in love.

But that scoundrel of a hubby is not one to sit on the sidelines. He sneaks into the estate late on the night before Christmas Eve and it’s up to the house staff downstairs to keep him out of sight. That’s not an easy task when Lydia discovers he’s in the house. Wickham tries to cajole his estranged wife to leave the family gathering and skip out to Europe, after, of course, she’s snagged a few bucks from the family coffers.

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The festivities spiral into chaos once Lydia gets a letter that fell out of Wickham’s pocket outlining his true intentions — to abandon his wife once he gets the money.

We won’t give anything else away, but trust us when we say, this one is Lucille-Ball-in-the-candy-factory funny.

Performances at the Temple, 330 S. Scott Ave., are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and on Dec. 1. Tickets are $25-$90 through atc.org or by calling 833-282-7328.