Pride and Prejudice by English Theatre Utrecht

See the Bennets, Mr Darcy and all the other beloved characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in an English-language amateur production in Utrecht!

About Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is an English love story from the Regency era. It centres around the Bennets; a well-to-do family with five daughters, that is pressured by the fact that women cannot inherit the family estate.

Mrs Bennet is desperate to marry her daughters off to rich gentlemen and secure their future, but the girls are more focused on other things. Elizabeth, especially, is adamant that her partner should be intelligent, kind, and someone she can fall in love with.

Instead, she is confronted with Mr Darcy - a high-class gentleman who is very clear that he does not appreciate her lower rank, Mr Collins - a cousin whose pompous and presumptuous behaviour makes her sick, and Mr Wickham - a roguish and charming military man with a sense of danger about him.

Her sisters, in the meantime, are also plagued by unrequited crushes, eligible men with meddling sisters and adolescent urges. How will Elizabeth and her sisters survive in a society that is fraught with the risk of scandal? Will pride and prejudice obstruct their chances of happiness?

Charming interpretation

This version of the classic romantic novel is a condensed production of just under two hours long. It aims to brings the story’s vibe, charm and wit to life by telling it through its own interpretation.

English Theatre Utrecht brings the costume drama atmosphere to life with a real Regency era feel, while adapting the classic language and more convoluted parts of the story. The result is an accessible production that welcomes a laugh, without shying away from some more dramatic moments.

Being a group production, all the characters get a loving treatment and interpretation, rather than fully focusing on just, the main character, Elizabeth’s experience.

Music, dance and Austen’s Juvenilia

An interesting addition to the original story is a short home play that the younger Bennet sisters perform around the play’s halfway mark.

It is a remake of a short mini-play that Jane Austen herself wrote when she was little, as humorous home entertainment. This excerpt from her Juvenilia shows a whimsical and chaotic pastime, similar to the at-home music performances that we often see in filmed versions of the story. Of course, you will also be treated to Mary’s piano skills and a real ballroom dance.

English Theatre Utrecht

English Theatre Utrecht (ETU) is an amateur theatre initiative that brings English productions to the stage of Utrecht as fun and understandable remakes, that will entertain both lovers of the original material, people who are seeing the stories for the first time and those who might not speak English as a first language.

The cast is a rich mix of Dutch and international actors from across the world, with varying levels of acting experience and mastery of the English language.

Through acting with an adapted script and everyone helping each other out, the group puts on hilarious and charming productions that do justice to the works they are based on, while being easier to appreciate for different target groups.