Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) takes Jane Austen’s cherished love story and gleefully transforms it into a madcap, audacious musical comedy.

Austen’s Pride & Prejudice has captivated readers for over two hundred years, but original director Isobel McArthur says that audiences need no prior knowledge of the novel to enjoy the show.

“The key thing that prospective audiences need to know about this production is that the whole story is laid out for the audience – whether they are Austen scholars or sceptics – because this style of theatre seeks to unify its audience. Not divide them on the grounds of their literary diet, class or educational background.”

Directed by Simon Harvey, the production thrives on chaos, quick changes and high energy. Navigating costume changes, musical instruments and an array of characters, the five performers work non-stop taking on multiple roles from the Bennet sisters to numerous other well-known Austen characters.

Teo Vergara shines as the spirited Elizabeth Bennet. Zoe Ioannou is a farcical scene-stealer as Mrs Bennet, doubling up as Flo and Mr Darcy. Amy Lehpamer excels as Miss Bingley, flirtatious with overtly attention-grabbing movements, desperate to catch Mr Darcy’s eye, also playing Tillie, Charlotte Lucas and Charles Bingley. Ruby Shannon plays Anne, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet and Mrs Gardiner, but it’s her wonderfully icky Mr Collins that stands out. Kaori Maeda-Judge is exuberant as Jane Bennet, while also playing Clara, George Wickham and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the latter earning some of the night’s loudest applause.

McArthur’s Olivier Award-winning adaptation conveys a vital message about the toil of the working-class throughout history. “It was these same women – sweeping the ash from the grate, changing the bedding and emptying the chamberpots – that facilitated the making of art for centuries. Watching five servants do all the scene and costume changes and play every part is a heartfelt homage to those unseen, unnamed, under-valued people without whom the likes of Jane Austen would never have been able to sit down at leisure and write novels.”

What McArthur has done beautifully is create Austen for everyone. The beloved characters are all still there and we’re still watching Elizabeth and Darcy’s slow-burning romance, but she’s also opened up the story and amplified the comedy.

As she explains: “We share some very cut-and-dried assumptions about so-called High Art and Low Art. Notions that if something is highfalutin it must be devoid of humour – or that if something makes us laugh, it can’t possibly be edifying. Austen novels are romantic comedies. Ornate, incisive, political and satirical, but rom-coms nonetheless. It’s only over the past 200 or so years of putting her work “behind glass” that we’ve decided to be so po-faced about her. All good comedy needs heft. And heft rarely survives exposure to an audience without eliciting laughs. All the best drama, in my view, combines the two. That’s exactly what we seek to preserve in this show.”

With live singing and instrumentation integral to the story, the cast sing, dance and perform effortlessly on the xylophone, piano, guitar and violin. Michael John McCarthy’s original sound composition brings the story into the present day. Packed with pop classics from Cyndi Lauper to George Michael, the musical choices embrace the production’s irreverent humour, Elizabeth’s rendition of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”, directed squarely at Mr Darcy, proving a particular highlight.

Ana Inés Jabares-Pita dresses the cast in white nighties paired with chunky black work boots, a nod to their servant roles, while a towering bookcase backdrop and staircase, each step lined with book spines, pay homage to Austen’s literary legacy. Jason Bovaird’s lighting shifts from soft and intimate to dramatic flashes through the romantic interludes.

The themes of love, class and female expectation are just as alive today as they were in Austen’s time.

“We have taken such care of this beloved work. Austen fans see the book they love on stage and those entirely unfamiliar often go away and pick up the novel for the first time. I hope that Austen would have appreciated how this version puts front-and-centre her novel’s feminism, farce, wit and sheer romantic intensity. It doesn’t make the past an alien place, it makes a good love story accessible to all. I think she’d be on board with that.”

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is theatrical madness in the best possible way. Expect constant laughter, fast-paced fun and wonderfully witty performances.

4 stars

Presented by Neil Gooding Productions and Woodward Productions Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is playing at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House in Sydney until 30 August 2026.

The production will then tour: Wollongong (IMB Theatre, IPAC) 2–13 September, Canberra (Canberra Theatre Centre) 16–27 September, and Brisbane (Playhouse Theatre, QPAC) 30 September – 18 October.

Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (including 20 minute interval)

For tickets visit Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of)