Bristol Old Vic, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Tron Theatre Company and Blood of the Young present
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)
Full Cast Announced
Written by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen
Directed by Paul Brotherston
A co-production with Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Oxford Playhouse
UK tour: 7 September 2019 – 28 March 2020
National Press Night at Bristol Old Vic: Thursday 12 September 2019
The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh along with partners Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Northern Stage, Nuffield SouthamptonTheatres,Oxford Playhouse, and new partnersLeeds Playhouse, are delighted to announce the cast for the remount of the critically-acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), presented in close collaboration with partners of the original production, Tron Theatre and Blood of the Young.
Playing multiple characters in this rip-roaring and irreverent all-female adaptation, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) brings together again the exceptional original cast, including: Tori Burgess (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Lyceum; Bear Pit, Blood of the Young; Secret Show 1, Blood of the Young & Tron Theatre; Margaret Saves Scotland, Oran Mor, Traverse, Lemon Tree, Marilyn Imrie), Christina Gordon (Glory on Earth, The Lyceum; The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil, National Theatre of Scotland, Dundee Rep; Mancub, Cumbernauld Theatre; Rocket Post, National Theatre of Scotland), Hannah Jarrett-Scott (Glory on Earth, The Lyceum; The Taming of the Shrew, Sherman Theatre, Tron Theatre; The Wolves, Theatre Royal Stratford east; A Bottle of Wine and Patsy Cline, Gilded Baloon), Isobel McArthur (Wendy and Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Lyceum; Cyrano de Bergerac, The Lyceum, National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre; Daphne Oram’s Wonderful World of Sound, Blood of the Young, Tron Theatre, Scottish Tour; Robin Hood, Manhattan Children’s Thaetre; Avoidable Climbing, Take Me Somewhere, Citizens Theatre), and Meghan Tyler (A Streetcar Named Desire, Lyric Theatre Belfast; Medicine, Off the Middle with The Hope Theatre; The Persians, Oran Mor, Traverse Theatre; Look Back in Anger, Cumbernauld Theatre; Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guilford Shakespeare Company; Shetland, BBC). They are joined by newcomer Felixe Forde, making her professional debut.
L to R, top: Tori Burgess, Felixe Forde, Christina Gordon
L to R, bottom: Hannah Jarett-Scott, Isobel McArthur, Meghan Tyler
Having first opened at Tron Theatre to an overwhelming audience response in Summer 2018, the production will tour to UK venues over Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020, beginning with Bristol Old Vic, where it will open the Autumn season on 12 September 2019.
This is an adaptation like no other. Drawing on over two-hundred years of romantic pop history is Blood of the Young’s unique take on a beloved novel - the hugely acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort Of).
Six young women have a story to tell. You might have seen them, emptying the chamber pots and sweeping ash from the grate; the overlooked and the undervalued making sure those above stairs find their happy ending. Of course, they’ve always been running the show - after all ‘You can’t have a whirlwind romance without clean bedding’ – but tonight, the servants are also playing every part.
Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this loving and irreverent all-female adaptation of Jane Austen’s unrivalled literary classic. Let the ruthless match-making begin.
The Lyceum’s Artistic Director, David Greig, said: “Blood of the Young are a brilliant young voice of Scottish Theatre, and their below-stairs take on Pride and Prejudice is a pitch-perfect blend of reverent homage and mischievous send up. I could not be more delighted to be working with them to bring this show to The Lyceum stage, and out to our partners across the UK.”
Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the UK, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. The historic playhouse aims to inspire audiences with its own original productions, both at home and on tour, whilst nurturing the next generation of artists, whether that be through their 350-strong Young Company, their many outreach and education projects or their trailblazing artist development programme, Bristol Ferment.
They use their funding to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to their programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it, or be able to afford it, and to keep their extraordinary heritage alive and animated.
On 24 Sep 2018, Bristol Old Vic completed its 2-year multi-million pound redevelopment project, which transformed its front of house space into a warm and welcoming public building for all of Bristol to enjoy, created a new studio theatre and opened up its unique theatrical heritage to the public for the first time.