Last week it was our privilege to be invited to a reading of a musical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, written by Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs, that is being prepared for a Broadway run next year. The idea of Jane Austen on Broadway is exciting enough, but one becomes wary of adaptations after suffering the slings and arrows of Hollywood; however, we are pleased to report that this adaptation is as delightful as hoped.

The musical originally was produced by the Ohio Light Opera Company last year, and the authors are still revising it, both to trim the running time and make it Broadway-ready. The play still betrays its operetta past; the complex melodies and clever wordplay bring Gilbert and Sullivan to mind, in the best way. The adaptation is true to the original novel in form and spirit with the added conceit of Jane Austen herself taking part in the story, waiting for the characters to reveal their actions and giving them gentle direction when necessary (a pretty good approximation of the act of writing fiction in our experience). Conceive all that is charming in Mrs. Bennet complaining to an astonished authoress about having to marry off five daughters, or Jane Bennet asking plaintively if she might leave her room, or Elizabeth begging the authoress to put her out of her misery at the Netherfield ball. Such a device could be twee, but here it worked well.

Though it was only a reading, the cast played their roles beautifully. We were especially pleased with Marilyn Caskey’s Mrs. Bennet, and hope that she is retained for the Broadway production. Though the writers concentrated on Lizzy and Darcy’s story, the humor, thankfully, is not forgotten; Mr. Collins (the best-looking Mr. Collins ever, by the bye) was so earnest and eager in his toad-eating that one laughed with him as much as at him; Lydia singing about how she can’t resist a redcoat will be a showstopper; and imagine, if you will, a center-stage death-glare standoff between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Jane Austen herself. (Guess who wins.)

The play is smart and funny and everything Jane Austen on Broadway ought to be; Janeites will absolutely love it. We so much look forward to seeing this in a full production, and will keep AustenBlog readers apprised of developments as the Broadway debut of this play approaches.

Howard Kissel, theatre critic for the New York Daily News, also attended the reading and was as pleased as we were.

Thanks to producer Lori Bajorek for the kind invitation to the reading.