P&P Set to Music – a “new” adaptation

A few of you may have already seen this on my own website/blog (www.shannonwinslow.com), but I wanted to share this news to a wider audience here because I’m so excited about it!

Look what I found when I was snooping around in my county library’s online catalogue! I could hardly believe it – a P&P adaptation I’d never heard of, and a musical besides! Although produced in 2020, it was totally “new” to me. Naturally, I requested it immediately. Shall I tell you how many times I’ve watched it since? I would, but I’ve literally lost track.

Over the years, I’ve been to see several plays based on Jane Austen’s works – some musical and some not – and enjoyed them all to one degree or another. It’s always special to see a live performance. [Side note: I’ve often thought how thrilling it would be to attend the premier of a play based on one of my own novels, and I even took a stab at writing an adaptation of The Ladies of Rosings Park for the stage.]

The only problem with a stage play is that the enjoyment lasts a couple of hours, and then, except for some fond memories, it’s over. Unlike a book or DVD, you can’t relive the experience again and again if you want. But this one you can!

Pride & Prejudice: A New Musical is a musical adaptation by Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon (Broadway’s Jane Eyre), filmed during a 2020 live performance at the Tony Award-winning TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley (directed by Robert Kelley and choreographed by Dottie Lester-White).

A play, especially a musical, is an entirely different story-telling medium, so we can’t expect it to be absolutely faithful to Jane Austen’s original work. This one sets a slightly more modern tone, for one thing. But I was quite impressed with how true it remained on the whole, managing to cover all the major plot points and necessary characterizations, using clever scene transitions and often breaking the fourth wall to quickly slice through to the heart of the story with no waste of time. Especially considering how much needs to be cut out to fit a 2-hour format while also making room for the songs, I was amazed how many lines from the original novel had been squeeze in: a treat for every Austen insider.

There were changes made, of course – some minor and presumably done for expediency (Mrs. Bennet preparing food in the kitchen, the Netherfield ball moved from November to Christmas, elimination of Louisa and Mr. Hurst, and so forth). The largest departure from canon was Mr. Bingley’s personality transplant. Instead of being outgoing and jovial, he’s painfully shy, especially around Jane, which is very effectively used for added humor. Because, you see, this adaptation is deliberately and delightfully funny, and I found myself laughing out loud along with the live audience.

The music itself is perhaps the most difficult thing for me to evaluate in any kind of objective way. To say I really enjoyed it would be true… but not enough. The songs did what they are supposed to do: adding drama and emotion, giving us a more in-depth view of what the characters are thinking and feeling, helping us to join in their experience. Perhaps the best recommendation is to tell you that I still have the music and lyrics running through my head! I’d say that’s a pretty good mark of success.

This production will never win a prize for costuming (not all are period correct, and a couple of the wigs are pretty awful), and there are other flaws. But, at least to me, the faults are minor when compared to the fact that I can now watch a musical version of my favorite story anytime I want, since I’ve added the DVD to my permanent collection. I hope you’ll give it a look too.

My rating: four and a half stars. (Read my other movie reviews here.)

You may be able to find  Pride & Prejudice: a New Musical at your library, as I did. Or watch it free at streamingmusicals.com.  It’s also available through Amazon in “rent” or “own” formats.

Have you seen this adaptation? If so, what did you think of it? If not, are you interested?