Pride and Prejudice at the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham, 11th to 14th March 2009.
A musical by Bernard J Taylor based on the novel by Jane Austen. Additional lyrics by Michael Yelland and Frank Bacon. This will be an amateur production by arrangement with Plays and Musicals.
The story told in Pride And Prejudice of the Bennet family, centred as it is on the relationship between the proud aristocrat Fitzwilliam Darcy and the high-spirited Elizabeth Bennet, is one of the most enduringly popular novels of all time and has had a far-reaching influence on all romantic fiction right up to the present day. Jane Austen described Elizabeth Bennet as "quite the most delightful creature as ever appeared in print". Tens of millions agree, and it is the closest the author came to true romantic comedy. The determination of the bright and sparkling Elizabeth to dislike Mr Darcy is matched only by his arrogant pride.
The musical has eleven fantastic roles for women (most with solos), from the dim Mrs Bennet, to her five daughters, to the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the bitchy Caroline Bingley. For the men, the six principal roles include the complex and challenging part of Mr Darcy, and a classic part for a comic actor in Mr Collins.
Bernard J Taylor's musical follows the plot and characterisation closely enough to suit those who can quote every line of Jane Austen's book, while telling the story plainly enough to entertain the few who don't know it. A show with 32 songs and a number of prominent roles for old and young, that also has plenty of chorus work. It has been staged numerous times with great success for the companies concerned.
Some of you may be thinking that Pride and Prejudice is a strange choice of show.Yes, it is rather different, but Panda have proved they are quite versatile and ‘different’ shows seem to work well for them.Add to that, the fact that there is a strong storyline [obviously!] and some quite lovely music. The artistic production team is the same as for Thoroughly Modern Millie.