The Seattle Times reports that Book-It Repertory Theatre’s 2007-2008 season will feature a “fresh adaptation” of Persuasion. It will play February 7 - March 2, 2008 at the Center House Theatre, Seattle Center. Book-It’s web site does not list next year’s schedule yet, but we’re looking forward to this play, thick boots at the ready!

Inaugurating a new category with this post! And don’t miss the LOLAustens being posted over at Molland’s–they are HI…wait for it…LARIOUS!

Alert Janeite Michelle pointed us to a really beautiful bronze maquette of “Mr. Bennet’s Daughter” by the artist Philip Jackson. (It’s a maquette, but pray note it’s over four feet tall!) Just the thing for a Janeite’s living room.

Via Manchegan Madness, we find Jane Austen cross-stitch sampler kits for you mad stitchers out there (you know who you are).

The kits include quotations from Northanger Abbey (like this blog post! La!), Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and the Sense and Sensibility movie (actually Shakespeare via Marianne In The Rain) and Emma, as well as a stocking kit with a Christmas quotation from Emma.

All evidence points that way…Alert Janeite Hidie wrote to tell us that Neil Gaiman’s first book, Neverwhere, contains a few passages referring to Mansfield Park. We found the references on page 40 and 41 of the edition linked (thank you, Amazon Search Inside):

She went over to the bookshelf in the corner of the bedroom, found a copy of Mansfield Park Richard had not previously known that he possessed, and went into the living room.

…and on page 337:

Door was sitting on the edge of her bed, reading a copy of Mansfield Park that Richard was certain the friars had not previously known that they had.

We’re sensing a leitmotif here.

Alert Janeite Aad sent us scans about the Jane Austen season from the NCRV TV guide.

Cover

First Page

Second Page

The broadcast dates for the films are:

Persuasion07 - already broadcast on June 3
Northanger Abbey 07 - to be shown on June 10
Emma 95 (Kate Beckinsale) - to be shown on June 17

Aad wrote to NCRV to find out why Mansfield Park would not be included in the festival and they said it was probably due to legal issues and licensing. Also, unfortunately they are not planning to release DVDs (the rights are owned by the company Dutch Film Works).

We hope our Dutch readers will let us know how they like the films!

However, Aad said that P&P40 is available with Dutch subtitles!

Congratulations to Dianna, the winner of a signed copy of The Jane Austen Handbook! We probably will have another drawing later this summer and then one in January to celebrate The Compleat Jane on PBS.

Don’t forget, if you have a copy of the book and would like a signed bookplate, directions for obtaining one are at the Editrix’s personal site.

“Elizabeth, you’re going to go out there tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt Darcy…and come back a star!”

We have some exciting news: a musical production of Pride and Prejudice will be on Broadway next year! We have blogged in the past about the musical, which had a premiere at the Ohio Light Opera Company last summer and, after some rewriting to transform it from an operetta to a musical theatre piece, some developmental readings in New York earlier this year. More readings are planned for August; stay tuned for further details. The producers hope to open on Broadway in August 2008.

We haven’t had a “motivational” style yet…

(used the lolcat generator for that one)

P.S. If you have LOLAustens to submit, post them here!