'Pride and Prejudice' to open Monmouth College's theatre season Sept. 27-29

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (09/24/2024) — The curtain will open on Monmouth College's 2024-25 theatre season Sept. 27-29 when theatre professor Todd Quick directs an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in Wells Theater.

"Along with Shakespeare, Jane Austen is probably one of the most universally beloved writers of the English language," said Quick. "Given the recent success of other Regency-era romances and dramas like Bridgerton ... I think people have traced it back to the source and been exploring her works."

Quick praised the adaptation for the stage of Austen's 1813 novel that he's directing.

"If you are a lover of the book, this play is going to be really perfect for you because the playwrights (J.R. Sullivan and Joseph Hanreddy) understood the assignment and took large passages of Austen's incredibly witty, wicked writing and lifted it straight out of the book," he said. "Fans of Jane Austen will be thrilled with this adaptation. The playwrights understood you can't do Pride and Prejudice without those features."

The two lead characters in the 24-member cast are Mia Martino '25 of Palatine, Illinois, as Elizabeth Bennett and Eric Pio '26 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as Fitzwilliam Darcy, but other popular characters are in the adaptation, including Mr. Bingley, Col. Wickham and Mr. Collins, who is portrayed by Edrass Chavez-Alvarado '26 of Chicago.

"I think those characters are really faithfully rendered in the adaptation that we selected," said Quick, who joined Monmouth's theatre department in 2018.

Standing the test of time

The play may have been written over two centuries ago, but that's OK, said Quick.

"Jane Austen, like very few other writers, is writing universal stories, universal themes," he said.

As an example of Austen's writing standing the test of time, Quick pointed to a "rumble royale" scene featuring Martino and Zesty Lythgoe '25 of Lafayette, Colo., who plays the role of Lady Catherine de Burgh.

"It's two of the smartest, sharpest characters in the play going at each other," said Quick. "Nothing feels outdated, nothing feels stale or old. It feels like two really smart characters thinking quickly and really knowing how to attack each other with language."

Quick has received assistance from his department colleague Vanessa Campagna, who choreographed the dance scenes, which feature what Quick called "the actual historical dance moves that Jane Austen would've been doing herself."

"And there's not just dancing, but the characters in 1811 don't walk around in life quite the same way that we do," said Quick of the emphasis on movement in the production, with a heavy dose of poise and grace. "So the rehearsal period began with some period-style movement training, where we had to relearn how to even just sit down on the couch when you're wearing these beautiful Regency-style gowns."

Quick said the dramaturg for the production, Abby Zayas '27 of Normal, Illinois, informed him that the original title for Pride and Prejudice was "First Impressions."

"Thinking about that makes so much sense because really, that's what this play all about," he said. "Experiencing that idea and exploring that concept with a bunch of freshmen in college who are all concerned about the first impressions they're making here at Monmouth - on each other, on me, in the broader community. They understand what these characters are going through. They're struggling with the same things, they're pursuing the same dreams and desires, and it's amazing how much things are the same as 1811."

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Monmouth College will present "Pride and Prejudice" at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27-28 and at 2 p.m. Sept. 29 at Wells Theater on the College's campus. Tickets can be purchased online at monmouthcollege.edu/box-office. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $6 for students and faculty with a Monmouth College ID.