All female Pride and Prejudice comes to Edinburgh's Lyceum

Having first opened at Tron Theatre, Glasgow, in Summer 2018, the remounted production has since toured to UK venues and been described as “The finest example of women reclaiming a narrative in recent years.”

This is an adaptation like no other. Drawing on more than two-hundred years of romantic pop history gives a unique take on the novel Pride and Prejudice.

Six young women have a story to tell. You might have seen them, emptying the chamber pots and sweeping ash from the grate; the overlooked and the undervalued making sure those above stairs find their happy ending. Of course, they’ve always been running the show - after all, ‘You can’t have a whirlwind romance without clean bedding’ – but tonight, the servants are also playing every part.

Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this loving and irreverent all-female adaptation of Jane Austen’s literary classic. Let the ruthless match-making begin.

Writer/Performer Isobel McArthur says, “I think Jane Austen has a particular genius for identifying The Ridiculous in her fellow human being. As she writes, she so

skilfully and wittily entertains us with her exquisite rendering of flawed, complex and funny characters - who feel so real we’re sure they’re based on our own friends and family members - all the while quietly highlighting the unfairness and absurdity of the world she was living in.

"This adaptation sees a cast of servants multi-role-ing to tell the story of Pride and Prejudice and - in the spirit of Austen - has much to say, but never at the expense of spinning a great yarn with gags a-plenty and, of course, karaoke. But to hell with that - audiences don’t need to have even heard of Jane Austen or her novels.

"This show is simply for anyone who enjoys a great night out full of colour, music and laughter. I’d encourage anybody put off by the associated stuffiness or frilly corsetry of the

Austen legacy to give this a go - and I’d tell those who love Austen not to worry because we do, too. This is a deeply affectionate re-telling of her brilliant, enduring story.”

Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of), Royal Lyceum, Grindlay Street, 23 January-15 February 2020, 7.30pm (2pm), £14-£33, lyceum.org.uk