What: Pride and Prejudice
Where: Langham Court Theatre
When: Opening tonight. Continues through Oct. 18.
Tickets: $21 adults, $19 students/seniors, $16 groups of 10+, two for $30 on Tuesdays, $10 student rush (15 minutes before curtain with ID)
When adapting a cultural touchstone like Pride and Prejudice for the stage, there are plenty of people who can tell you that you’re doing it wrong.
Lucky for them, Victoria playwright Janet Munsil was keen to stay true to Jane Austen’s tale.
“I was trying to make something that felt true to the book, with the knowledge that you can’t present a book on stage.”
Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s 1813 classic about Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman in a family of seven who challenges manners, marriage and a certain Mr. Darcy. It’s been adapted the world over, from the 1995 BBC miniseries starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, to the Bride and Prejudice, a 2004 Bollywood take on the romance.
Still, Munsil didn’t quite realize how many people took it to heart.
“I didn’t realize the level of fandom for it, amongst so many people,” said Munsil. “I learned that after I started writing it.”
Although it opens at Langham Court Theatre tonight, Munsil originally wrote the play for a 2012 joint production by Theatre Calgary and the National Arts Centre.
Before accepting the job, Munsil said she wanted to return to the novel and re-read it. Was there anything new she felt she could bring to it, without fundamentally changing it?
“In the end, I was happy with how it turned out, because it’s Jane Austen’s story and characters, but I still felt like it was one of my plays.”
The main challenge was condensing the plot-heavy story to about two hours (the audiobook is about 11.5 hours long).
That meant some minor characters took a vacation (“I like to think they’re still there, but you don’t see them on stage”) and some characters will deliver lines that others originally had.
It was also important to make the final scene — which features an almost unspoken understanding between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy — more explicit for the stage.
The nuts and bolts are still there, however.
“It’s a very plot-driven story, so there are things you can’t just ignore or leave out, because you definitely need to move the story forward.”
Since the Calgary staging, Munsil said she’s been happy to see that her adaptation has spread elsewhere. With a cast of 19 characters, it’s a popular piece for community theatres, including one in Saint John, N.B., and four in England.
“It’s nice that it’s getting seen, and as a Canadian adaptation, I’m quite proud of the fact that they're doing it in England,” she said.
For director Judy Treloar, having Munsil in Victoria to consult has been a rare opportunity.
“Usually, playwrights live in another city or country, if they’re still alive,” Treloar said.
At the same time, she said she’s appreciated the freedom Munsil has given her and her team. For example, for a setting description Munsil said only, “England, about 200 years ago.” It gave Treloar and her team, including set designer Caroline Mitic and costume designer Merry Hallsor, freedom to work with Langham Court’s unique but small space.
“We’ve done a very stylized set and the costumes are brilliant,” she said.
Munsil’s notes indicated that the play should be staged without stopping, so the set is designed for quick transitions. Part of directing a period piece is ensuring the actors obey social norms and etiquette. They must walk as they would in regency England, fold their arms properly and address one another appropriately. Men, for example, must stand whenever a woman enters the room.
“We’ve all learned to be very polite to one another,” Treloar said.
The cast includes Melissa Taylor, Sarah Tradewell and Montgomery Bjornson.
As for the Austen fanatics, Treloar said it doesn’t affect her approach.
“It doesn’t change the way I’ve directed it, but it changes my apprehension. We have a Jane Austen Society here and a lot of people who are experts on Austen and the way things should be,” she said.
“There are a few things some Jane Austen-obsessed people might object to, but we are going with it, because we believe in it.”