From the beloved 1995 BBC miniseries to the Bollywood musical, Lizzie Bennet YouTube vlog and Bridget Jones’s Diary homage… (not to mention the serviceable fan fictions, dubious zombie and vampire updates, comic book adaptations, and creepy Colin Firth statues) there is no shortage of Pride and Prejudice to be found in popular culture.
Still, in a true testament to the enduring allure of Jane Austen’s 19th-century rom-com, fans are surely fanning their faces in excitement over the upcoming Arts Club Theatre Company presentation.
Director Sarah Rodgers certainly is. The theatre veteran, in fact, still can’t get enough…
“First of all, my family is British, so I grew up a Jane Austen fan,” says Rodgers. “I read Pride and Prejudice in Grade 9 and I think I read it every year after that […] And I grew up watching every movie, every miniseries. Like many women on the planet,” she adds, with a genuine school-girl giggle. “It really is a dream come true to direct this piece.”
Rodgers, a 12-time Jessie Award nominee who just last summer helmed the Theatre Under The Stars hit Hairspray!, is bringing Austen’s 1813 novel of manners to life at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre this week. It’s not some dusty adaptation that wallows in the drama of it all, however. In this version, penned by Victoria playwright and 2014 Governor General’s Award-finalist Janet Munsil, the fat is trimmed from the 300-some-odd-page prose, leaving only a tightly witty script.
“It’s a fantastic script. We are so lucky to have this version,” raves Rodgers. “[Munsil] has written a comedy, and she’s also written a very economical script. If you were to sit and read aloud the novel, it takes 12 hours,” Rodgers explains, “so [Munsil] has distilled a 12-hour read into two hours, and it is concise, witty, moving, charming. She has all the best lines in it.”
And those lines – that dialogue – is where the Austen magic happens. For those who don’t know the story by heart, Pride and Prejudice follows a year in the life of intelligent, headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, of the many Bennet sisters. When Elizabeth encounters the wealthy, brooding Mr. Darcy, assumptions are made and poor first impressions must be overcome, mostly through sharp verbal repartee.
“I think it is one of the most romantic love stories of our time,” says Rodgers, appreciatively. “I also think it is an incredible depiction of human nature and character. I think we can all relate to first impressions that were wrong.”
For this, her fourth time directing for the Arts Club, Rodgers has chosen a diverse cast – from ethnicity to age and experience – to fill the play’s many roles.
“I have some terrific old veterans in there,” she says, with excitement. “Scott Bellis, and David Marr, and Katey Wright. I also have theatre royalty with Shirley Broderick,” she adds. “And then I have a student from Studio 58; I have recent grads from UBC and Studio 58; I also have, just among the Bennet sisters, an African-Canadian ‘Lydia’, a Filipino ‘Mary’, and our ‘Georgiana’, Darcy’s sister, is half Japanese.”
“It was very important to me,” Rodgers continues, “in presenting this beautiful production – this English piece – in today’s world, to have diverse casting.”
In more nods to modernity, Rodgers has also played with convention by incorporating her love of conceptual design into Alison Green’s set workup, while also adding some live music into the mix.
The story itself, though, stays as its meant to be.
“It’s set in 1811 – it’s set right in Jane Austen’s time period – and I’m honouring the time period,” Rodgers affirms. “I love the time period. I love the costumes. The entire piece is about etiquette and the class system, so you need to keep it in its time period.”
It’s a style of production that Rodgers feels the Arts Club – Western Canada’s largest theatre company – is now uniquely positioned in Vancouver to produce.
“With the closing of the Playhouse [theatre company in 2012], we really only have Blackbird Theatre and the Arts Club to bring us the classics,” Rodgers explains.
“And also, with the success of such a fantastic large company, they’re able to produce a classic production that has 17 actors in it. How fortunate are we, in Vancouver,” she states. “We’re so blessed to have the Arts Club, and as a director, this is a gift. To go to work every day and work with 17 professional actors, it’s really amazing. We’re all pinching ourselves and we’re all very thankful.”
• Pride and Prejudice runs Jan. 28 to Feb. 28 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Tickets from $29; ArtsClub.com
