The playwright who adapted PRIDE AND PREJUDICE for the Arizona Theatre Company’s production (previews start today!) and is directing has loved the novel since he was a young man.

That love of Austen’s pages, filled with wit, romance and eloquent language, means Jory is determined that his adaptation be true to the 19th-century novel.

The actress who will play Elizabeth also loves the book as well as her character.

One of those the audience will meet is witty, self-assured and out-spoken Elizabeth, played by Julia Dion.

“This is Elizabeth’s play,” said Jory.

“In some ways, it’s a dream role; it’s really the Hamlet of ingenues,” Dion said. “Elizabeth has a lot of things to say.”

The costume designer, who seems to have not received the memo about Gritty Realism^TM, is pleased with the fashions of the era.

“Here’s the secret to this era,” said Krass as he showed a visitor around the ATC costume shop.

“Everybody looks good. Empire waist, bust push-ups, long, lean lines. Men have the high, high collars, big ties, fitted coats and tight pants. Everyone looks good like that. That’s a delight.”

HA!

Incidentally, the Editrix has just realized that she saw Anthony Marble, who plays Mr. Darcy, as Bassanio in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival earlier this summer, and developed a bit of a crush. He reminded her of a blond Adrien Brody, which is a good thing in the Editrix’s book.

A production of Helen Jerome’s stage adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will be staged at the Bonstelle Theatre of Wayne State University in Detroit on December 9 - 11 and 16 - 18. Tickets are $14 and are available now.

One hopes that they spell Miss Austen’s name correctly before the playguide goes to press.

We find this terribly exciting. Richard Daley, the mayor of Chicago, announced that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen will be the ninth selection (and the first written by a non-American) for the “One Book, One Chicago” reading initiative. More information is available at the Chicago Public Library’s site.

The British novel was selected this year for various reasons, the mayor said.

The founding of the Chicago Public Library was made possible by the donation of 8,000 books by Queen Victoria and other British leaders to replace those destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Daley said. Additionally, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the British Consulate in Chicago.

We thought this part was particularly cool:

Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey said neighborhood libraries will offer copies of the novel in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Polish, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, French, German and Italian.

Jane must be very proud right now.

Activities are planned around the reading:

A monthlong series of discussions and seminars are planned for October at the Washington Library and DePaul University, at neighborhood library book clubs and at local Borders Books and Music and Barnes & Noble stores.

Also, Steppenwolf Theatre plans an ensemble reading at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Washington Library, 400 S. State St., while Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, will present a stage adaptation Oct. 5-Nov. 20.

Debrah Pickett muses about how modern society hasn’t really changed that much from Austen’s day in the Chicago Sun-Times.

I don’t know if any of my neighbors plan to on picking up a copy of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the new selection for the Mayor’s One Book, One Chicago project. And I have no idea, if they did, whether they’d find it at all interesting — or familiar.

But it amuses me to imagine an earnest discussion — wedged, naturally, between the far more important topics of which kindergartens produce the highest standardized test scores and which gyms have the best Mommy and Me yoga classes — about how much better off we all are now, in these more-enlightened times.

The Sun-Times also has an article about the selection with biographical information about Jane Austen and an excerpt from the first chapter.

Hey…Oprah’s in Chicago…could she finally acknowledge the existence of Jane Austen’s books on one of her shows, do you think?!?

Obviously preened by a congratulatory letter from the president of JASNA, Ask Amy gently nudges another teenager toward reading Jane Austen:

Dear Amy: I used to like person “A” and “A” was well aware of this but didn’t say one thing either way. I was just ignored.

Now “A” has developed the hots for me. I’ve lost interest and would just like to keep “A” as a friend.

He has called several times, comes up to me and holds me (even though I don’t let him, return his calls or show any interest).

I would just like him to formally ask me out so I could say, “No, thank you,” but I don’t want to be harsh about it.

I would really like to figure out what I am going to do before school starts again.

Just Want to be Friends

Dear Just: You aren’t a character in a Jane Austen novel, dear. In this millennium, young ladies are permitted to initiate conversations, especially if they wish to clarify a situation that would otherwise cause continuing embarrassment.

You can say, ” `A’ — I want you to know that I like you but I don’t like like you. I’m not interested in you romantically.”

If “A” says, “I don’t know what you’re talking about — those phone calls and holding episodes don’t mean anything,” then you can say, “Sorry — I was mistaken; I just want to make sure there isn’t any misunderstanding between us.”

Actually, Jane Austen heroines wouldn’t have had much trouble getting rid of this goober. Even Fanny Price managed to spurn Henry Crawford.

(Yes, we know this is way later than II, but we couldn’t resist the obvious and rather clichéd pop culture reference for the title.)

KeiraWeb.com has picture and clips from various appearances related to the U.K. premiere on September 5.

Hello! magazine has some pics and a short article about the premiere.

Matthew Macfadyen, along with fellow cast members Rosamund Pike and Jena Malone, attended a regional premiere of the film in Manchester, and had a chat with Manchester Online.

Matthew said: “I don’t mind the tag of heart-throb because I don’t really know what it means. It doesn’t change my life in any way.

“If I was Robbie Williams and couldn’t walk out the door it would bother me, but to me it’s just another tag.

“For a while I was simply known as Matthew `Spooks’ Macfadyen, and now it will be this, but in the end it just goes away. It’s exciting to take something like this on.

“The reason you become an actor is because you want to play parts like Mr Darcy.”

Contactmusic.com reveals that the actresses in P&P3 wore no makeup and that Joe Wright thought Keira and Rosamund were good sports for allowing themselves to be covered with mud..

And Ray Bennett (!) of the Hollywood Reporter previewed the film at the Toronto Film Festival and was not impressed.

Director Joe Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach seem to have confused Austen with the Bronte sisters, as their story pits star-crossed lovers against a backdrop of fierce landscapes and harsh storms. By robbing the story of its intricate framework of late 18th century social observation, the love affair descends into ponderous melodrama.

Another reviewer fails to understand the importance of Gritty Realism^TM.

Jenny Colgan says, “ANOTHER Austen adaptation?” at Scotsman.com.

And the tagline, in case you’re an idiot, is: “Sometimes the last person on earth you want to be with is the one person you can’t be without” - which makes it sound like a buddy movie featuring a cop and a chimp.