Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) to open in London's West End

Isobel McArthur’s unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s classic love story was critically acclaimed when it played at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre. Men, money and microphones are fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation, which includes pop classics such as Every Day I Write the Book, Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, I Got You Babe and You’re So Vain. Five actresses portray the young female servants who retell one of literature’s most famous stories, and these same five actresses play every other character, as well as singing and playing instruments.

David Pugh said today, “I so wanted to bring PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) to London’s glittering West End. I wanted to put it into the perfect theatre, which is the Criterion, and I would only open it as one of the first NEW shows in London where every seat could be filled.” He feels strongly that “inviting audiences back to the theatre, it is essential that they feel safe but, as important, is that tickets are affordable. There will be no premium seats and tickets at the Criterion Theatre will be £9.50 to £59.50.” All tickets during previews are £9.50 to £25.

The cast of the original Tron Theatre production will be reunited. Writer and director 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 Theatre; Avoidable Climbing, Take Me Somewhere, Citizens Theatre) will once again play Darcy and Mrs Bennet. Also in the cast will be 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) as Mr Collins, 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) as Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Jane, 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) as Charlotte and Charles Bingley 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) as Lizzie Bennet.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) will be directed by Isobel McArthur and Simon Harvey, with comedy staging by Jos Houben, design by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, lighting by Colin Grenfell, musical supervision by Michael John McCarthy, sound design by Michael John McCarthy and Luke Swaffield for Autograph and choreography by Emily-Jane Boyle.

David Pugh presents Tron Theatre Company, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Blood of the Young’s production of PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (*SORT OF) with co-producers Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage and Oxford Playhouse.