 "Photo: Photo courtesy of UT theatre & dance")
For those who love the wit and wisdom wisdom of Jane Austen, or for those who just enjoy a good story, comes an adaptation of the famous novel “Pride and Prejudice” by UT’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
High school English class might have made you believe that the book is all about the love story of Elizabeth and Darcy, but that’s not all the performance hopes to convey.
“It is not really a romantic story,” said Gavin Cameron-Webb, director of the show. “It can perhaps be seen as a cautionary tale, advising us against acting on the prejudice of first impressions and condemning pride on principle.”
Cameron-Webb and the cast are striving to show their audiences the other, more subtle themes in Austen’s work, including issues like class barriers, economic consequences and the necessities of marriage, as well as the reactions of the English to the principles of the French Revolution and threat of invasion.
The novel also creates a satire of English aristocracy and clergy, a subject that the cast and crew have enjoyed recreating on stage. All of these ideas are wrapped into the classic tale of a woman’s success in a male-dominated society.
“Elizabeth Bennet is the narrator of the family’s quest for financial stability and social status, and she guides us through her own unexpected love story to success,” Cameron-Webb said.
The adaptation is true to the novel, staying close to the original text but condensing to avoid time constraints. Like the novel, the play jumps from location to location. The biggest liberty the play has taken is creating Elizabeth not only as a character, but also as the narrator of the story. Those involved hopes that this method of speaking to the audience will allow the play to keep moving at a quick pace and draw attention to Elizabeth’s words and actions.
“We’ve attempted to frame the production with the novel itself,” said Christina Gutierrez, dramaturg for the show. “We use a series of projections that situate the audience in the time and place of each scene and use a complex system of moving scenery and lighting effects to differentiate the play’s 11 different locations for the audience. We’ve focused on telling Austen’s story as best as we can onstage. The cast has also had extensive movement and dialect training so that they look and sound as close as possible to period characters.”
For the romantic, cynic and satirist in all of us, “Pride and Prejudice” presents a cautionary love tale that pokes fun at itself and the culture of the time. While the cast has enjoyed connecting to the characters and presenting them in a new way, the story and wit of a beloved author still comes through.
“The production is fast-paced and deeply funny,” Gutierrez said. “Audiences should expect a new imagining of a classic story.”
WHAT: Pride and Prejudice
WHEN: Friday, 8 p.m. (runs through Nov. 22)
WHERE: B. Iden Payne Theatre, 23rd St. and San Jacinto Blvd.
TICKETS: $20 adults, $17 UT faculty and staff, $15 students
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