The appetite for Jane Austen adaptations seems to be relentless. Of course, Pride and Prejudice is one of the evergreen favourites for many Austen fans, with several film, TV and stage adaptations having been produced over the years.
Queensland Theatre had a sell-out season of their joyous, Matilda Award-winning production last year (the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth), but Cyclone Alfred forced it to shut a week early. It’s back for a short stint and is again enjoying packed houses.
Adapted by Wendy Mocke and Lewis Treston, and co-directed by Bridget Boyle and Daniel Evans, the play is Austen melding with a touch of Bridgerton. There’s plenty of dancing to contemporary music by artists such as Lady Gaga, with some of the dance moves deliberately ludicrous, allowing the actors to ham it up and keep the audience in fits of laughter.
So, maybe it’s not for Austen purists, but it manages to remain true to the original, including being set in the Regency period – complete with bonnets – but with modern flavours added.
The main mood is fun. Sometimes referred to as the original romantic comedy, Pride and Prejudice looks at the societal norms and expectations around romance, marriage, class differences and property ownership. Remember, at that time a woman was expected to be “mercifully” taken off the shelf through marriage before she was considered past it. One of the characters, Elizabeth Bennet’s best friend, Charlotte, bemoans that at the age of 27, she’s well past being considered wife material.
Maddison Burridge makes a bright and intelligent Elizabeth, who’s considered a tad weird because she likes to read all the time. Then there’s Andrew Hearle as Mr. Darcy, who could not be a closer match to Colin Firth’s portrayal in the popular 1995 BBC series. And homage is paid to the famous lake-swimming scene from that series, in a hilarious sequence when Elizabeth tries to hide so she isn’t caught catching a glimpse of him.
The full cast shines. Gael Ballantyne is a real treat as Mrs Bennet, constantly fussing around and concerned with getting the right matches for her daughters. Amy Ingram is also a stand-out in her scenes, playing both Charlotte and the comically stiff and judgmental Ms. Bingley. The night I saw the play, stand-in Stephen Hirst was up to the task of conveying the put-upon Mr. Bennet, in Bryan Probet’s absence.
William Carseldine has a star turn as Mr. Bingley, and Daphne Chen, Chenoa Deemal, Zoë Schramm, Perry Mooney and Jeremiah Wray all earn their place on the stage. Cameron Hurry is very funny as the inveigling, marriage-seeking cousin of the Bennet sisters, Mr. Collins.
Designer Christina Smith teamed up with Queensland Theatre’s costume supervisor, Nat Ryner, for the simple but accurate Regency costumes. The set design seems relatively simple, but is effective. For instance, instead of a huge set change to show a change of location, a model of a house is wheeled onto the stage to evoke that we’re now somewhere else. The touch of a garden across the front and sides of the stage is a delightful touch. All in all, a joyful production.
Pride & Prejudice is on at Playhouse, QPAC until 26th July, 2026.
Vicki Englund
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Pride & Prejudice (QPAC) – theatre review
- Gaslight (Queensland Theatre) – theatre review
- Bernhardt/Hamlet (Queensland Theatre) – theatre review
Vicki Englund is a film, TV and theatre reviewer, a credited TV screenwriter on shows including The Bureau of Magical Things and Home and Away, and a film screenwriter with several projects in development. She was the daily TV reviewer for The Courier Mail for 11 years and has reviewed films and TV for Rave Magazine, Time Off, The Courier Mail and Daily Review.
