Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) E-Book

Isobel McArthur

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: NHB Modern Plays
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 137

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

'Love's irrelevant – we're talking about marriage.' This unique take on Jane Austen's beloved novel is an adaptation like no other, drawing on over two hundred years of romantic pop history, and featuring six young women with a story to tell. You might have seen them before, 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, these women have always been running the show – after all, 'You can't have a whirlwind romance without clean bedding' – but now the servants are also playing every part. Let the ruthless match-making begin! Isobel McArthur's acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) was first produced by theatre company Blood of the Young and seen at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, in 2018. It toured the UK in 2019, produced by the two companies and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, with co-producers Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage, Nuffield Theatres Southampton and Oxford Playhouse. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an amateur company in want of an irreverent all-female adaptation of a literary classic to perform, need look no further.

Leseprobe

Isobel McArthur

After Jane Austen

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

Original Production

Characters

Doubling

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Introduction

Isobel McArthur

On the Origins and Spirit of the Show

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) was first performed at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, 2018. I suspect that it is the inherent humour and heart of Glaswegian audiences which initially imbued this text with the flare, wit and generosity of spirit that I hope are still at the core of it. It should feel affectionate-whilst-knowing, front-footed, funny, fourth-wall-breaking and utterly celebratory.

On Music

In the original production, songs were sung over specially composed karaoke backing tracks, with some live instrumentation performed by the actors.

Whilst designed to be performed by six actor-musicians, the show need not necessarily demand instrumentation or professionally trained singers. As with delivery of any karaoke performance, passion is the most essential ingredient.

On Doubling

This is an adaptation that adores its source text. However, a further layer of reality and humour presents itself because of doubling (actually, multirolling) and the pace of that in live performance. The joke that we are all in on (that there are only just enough pairs of hands to pull this off) forms a big part of the overall presentation of Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) – and much of an audience’s enjoyment can be derived from seeing which performer will next pop up as which character, if they will make their costumes changes in time for their next entrance, etc. There is a sense of impressive resourcefulness in seeing six actors play all the parts – in a way that speaks to the circumstances of many of the women in Jane Austen’s novels – but that also amuses audiences and stretches performers. This means that some of the characters can be worn lightly and, in many moments, the personality of the actor can shine through. I would encourage anyone approaching the text to experiment with these elements in production.

On Accents and Dialect

Parts of this script were written with specific actors in mind. Where many period dramas are dominated by received pronunciation (RP), our original ensemble drew on their own regional-accent diversity to build the characters, meaning we heard voices from Glasgow, Newry, South London, Aberdeen, Manchester, West Yorkshire, Edinburgh and more. There are many words which sit better in different mouths (‘wee’, ‘mard-arse’, etc.), and which are ways of speaking particular to these different regions. Anyone performing the show should feel free to alter these words to something which suits the natural voice of the performer in each case.

On Casting

I’m sure we all know just how important it is to create more opportunities for female performers to play a wide range of nuanced, interesting and varied roles in the theatre. However, there are also many artistic reasons why an all-female cast is so perfect for the telling of this particular story. Pride and Prejudice is about the plight of five daughters. Their future hangs in the balance because none of them were born male. So, at its very heart, this was always a woman’s story.

However, the book is also set during the Napoleonic Wars (something less frequently touched on in adaptations), meaning a disproportionate amount of household servants were women at the time. Indeed, as one servant explains towards the end of Act One, fines were imposed for hiring male servants who might otherwise be usefully employed as soldiers. It seemed crucial that a story so tied up in class and societal status (and one which, itself, has been afforded quite a loftily superior brand of cultural capital) was told by servants. But it also made historical sense for these servants to be women. This way, we can watch six women embody their employers, including those who are men, in an act of doubly transgressive triumph.

Jane Austen could not publish under her own name during her lifetime because of her gender. I’m lucky enough to live in a time when I can put my name – and hers – on the front of this book and we, as a company, are all so grateful to her for writing this brilliant story.

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) was first performed at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, on 29 June 2018, produced by Tron Theatre Company and Blood of the Young. The play was subsequently revived on tour of the UK in 2019, produced by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Tron Theatre Company and Blood of the Young, with co-producers Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Oxford Playhouse. The cast was as follows:

TORI BURGESS

FELIXE FORDE

CHRISTINA GORDON

HANNAH JARRETT-SCOTT

ISOBEL MCARTHUR

MEGHAN TYLER

Director

Paul Brotherston

Designer

Ana Inés Jabares-Pita

Musical Supervisor

MJ McCarthy

Lighting Designer

Simon Hayes

Sound Designer

MJ McCarthy

Choreographer

EJ Boyle

Associate Director

Shilpa T-Hyland

Dramaturgy

Johnny McKnight

Associate Designer

Anna Orton

Associate Sound Designer

Calum Paterson

Casting Director

Laura Donnelly CDG (Additional Casting)

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE*

Isobel McArthur

after Jane Austen

Characters

THE SERVANTS

A phalanx of housekeepers, chambermaids, cleaners and other servant staff from Miss Austen’s novels. Our narrators. They transcend all worlds, all times and steer the course of the action in ways unnoticed by the Master characters. They include…

ANNE

CLARA

EFFIE

FLO

MAISIE

TILLIE

…all of whom play the servants of any household as required (meaning masters may refer to them by other names).

THE MASTERS

MRS BENNET, mother to five unmarried daughters. Neurotic

MR BENNET, her husband (played by an armchair facing upstage)

JANE BENNET, the eldest Bennet daughter. Beautiful

ELIZABETH BENNET, the second-eldest Bennet daughter. Our heroine

MARY BENNET, the middle Bennet child. A social outcast. Uncomfortable, bookish. A certain kind of intelligent

KITTY BENNET, the second-youngest Bennet daughter. Always lumped in with and overshadowed by her younger sister

LYDIA BENNET, the youngest Bennet at fifteen. Loud. Precocious. Prone to violence, especially around Kitty

MR COLLINS, their cousin, once removed. A feckless clergyman

CHARLOTTE LUCAS, best friend to Elizabeth

CHARLES BINGLEY, a rich, single young man. Extremely affable

MISS CAROLINE BINGLEY, his insufferably snobby sister

FITZWILLIAM DARCY, another rich, single young man. Friends with Bingley. Reserved. Prone to negativity

GEORGE WICKHAM, a handsome and intoxicatingly charming soldier

LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH, Darcy’s incredibly rich aunt

MRS GARDINER, aunt to the Bennet girls. Likeable, caring

MR GARDINER, her adorable husband

Doubling

ACTOR 1 – Flo, Mrs Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy

ACTOR 2 – Maisie, Kitty Bennet, Mr Collins, George Wickham, Mrs Gardiner

ACTOR 3 – Effie, Elizabeth Bennet

ACTOR 4 – Clara, Jane Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh

ACTOR 5 – Anne, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Mr Gardiner

ACTOR 6 – Tillie, Charlotte Lucas, Charles Bingley, Miss Bingley

Doubling can get complicated. Fast costume changes and strong characterisation from a talented multi-rolling cast will be necessary to maintain clarity and pace throughout.

Note On Text

Lines sung or spoken on microphones appear in bold. (This script suggests a convention of speaking letters on microphones – but this can be experimented with.)

A forward slash (/) indicates the point at which the following line of dialogue overlaps.

Decoding the Names of Some Domestic Locations

Longbourn – the Bennets’ house

Netherfield – the house Charles Bingley rents in Meryton

The Parsonage – Mr Collins’ house

Rosings – Lady Catherine’s house

Pemberley – Darcy’s house

ACT ONE

Pre-Show

Six female SERVANTS: ANNE, CLARA, EFFIE, FLO, MAISIE and TILLIE, in Regency-era servant’s dress populate the space, cleaning. The pace and intensity of cleaning increases until they eventually collapse.

Scene One

One SERVANT begins to sing. Gradually, others pick up instruments and join in. An opening song – Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ ‘Everyday I Write the Book’ with a cry of –

TILLIE. Good evening!

– at the top of the instrumental.

The song concludes. They address the audience. They are welcoming, polite – but playful, too. EFFIE is exhausted.

Alright?

MAISIE. Now – You won’t know who we are.

FLO. Well, there might be the faintest hint of recognition, amongst the fanatics.

CLARA. ‘Did you open a door once in Persuasion?’

ANNE. ‘Or serve up that inedible pudding in Mansfield Park?’

CLARA. But our names won’t come to mind.

ANNE/CLARA/FLO/MAISIE/TILLIE. You’ll probably get us all mixed up.

FLO. It’s okay. We’ve been expecting you. You’ve come to hear Miss Austen’s story.

TILLIE. The spare beds are made up.

MAISIE. We’ve bought the extra provisions from town.

FLO. Your modern sensibilities might make you feel a bit guilty about all that labour. Don’t worry.

MAISIE. Miss Austen has, in her wisdom, made us all different. Some at rest –

ANNE. Some at work.

CLARA. Some master –

TILLIE. Some servant.

CLARA (taking up ELIZABETH’s green dress). Some romantic hero –

MAISIE (swapping it for a mop). Some brief cameo.

They sigh.

TILLIE. Course – not everyone realises how integral we are.

FLO. You can’t write a novel without –

ANNE. Someone to empty the chamberpot.

MAISIE. Or, have a whirlwind romance without –

TILLIE. Clean bedding.

CLARA. Without us there would be no concertos, no prose, no portraiture, no –

TILLIE. What we’re saying is: You’re Welcome.

MAISIE (gently boastful). We feature in the books ourselves…

ANNE. Well, appear. Occasionally.

TILLIE. See, the things we do can end up making all the difference.

CLARA. Deliver that letter a little slower –

MAISIE. Top up that glass a little quicker –

TILLIE. And it’s such satisfying work. Seeing them walk off into the sunset. Knowing we all did our bit.

They smile. It’s a little forced. Something is unsaid.

Beat.

CLARA. Shame about the wee… ‘oversight’ on Miss Austen’s part…

MAISIE. No ever-after for us.

ANNE. No love interests.

EFFIE (numb). No ending.

They turn and look at EFFIE. They mustn’t give in to despondency.

MAISIE (cheerily). Still – it’s reassuring to have a job for life.

ANNE. And they say servants who stay put are never short of true friends.

Resilient energy.

CLARA. So! You might not have spotted us – but rest assured, we were always there.

FLO. Ready.

MAISIE. Listening.

ANNE. Waiting for the bell to ring.

FLO. We probably knew what you needed before you did.

TILLIE. We have been doing this since 1796.

FLO. We’ve a clear purpose!

CLARA. Are always dependable –

MAISIE. Indispensable!

CLARA. And what’s more, we’ve seen everyone –

ANNE. Absolutely everyone…

TILLIE. Naked.

Beat. They eye the audience.

FLO. So, now we all know our place…?

EFFIE is offered the green dress. She smiles for the first time.

Let’s begin!

Everyone moves off.

Scene Two

MAISIE (to audience). The story starts here. A sleepy wee place, about halfway between London and Cambridge, called – Meryton.

A Regency dressing screen is placed. We establish Longbourn.

ANNE. There’s a bit of a problem with emotional repression here.

CLARA. So don’t be surprised if people burst into song every now and again.

FLO. For the ladies, in particular, there’s very little to do.

MAISIE. So they’re reliant on a steady import of gossip to help pass the time. Luckily, this week brought the exciting news that the landlord of Netherfield Park has finally found a tenant.

CLARA. One Charles Bingley. And he’s not local.

ANNE. No, no – this man is new! Just moved to the area.

CLARA. And not only is he rich enough to rent a place like Netherfield –

MAISIE. With a fortune to live off besides – !

CLARA. He’s also young, handsome and single.

ANNE. In this neighbourhood, if you’re not talking about the last town ball –

FLO. Or talking about the next town ball –

CLARA. It’s because you’re at the current town ball.

MAISIE. And they’re throwing one tonight! A chance for all the locals to present themselves to their new wealthy neighbour.

CLARA. After all – Meryton is home to many unmarried ladies. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

All at once lights change, the SERVANTS disappear, noises of a scrap, and MRS BENNET is spat out from behind the screen.

MRS BENNET. I give up! You are all impossible! (Ringing a small bell.) Tillie!

TILLIE enters.

TILLIE (to the audience). Welcome! This Meryton household is known as Longbourn. And it is home to the Bennet family.

MRS BENNET. Tillie!

TILLIE. Coming! (To audience). This is my mistress, Mrs Bennet. She is mother to five unmarried daughters.

MRS BENNET. Help the girls on with their dresses, Tillie, or we’ll be late. Oh, it’s too much pressure! (Sucking on her inhaler.)

TILLIE. She’s a wee bit tense. You see, if the girls don’t have husbands by the time their da dies, they’ll all be destitute. Mrs Bennet included. Because in Regency-era England, women can’t inherit money or property.

TILLIE pulls the strings of a bodice – there is a yelp from behind the screen.

– Just breathe in a little, miss – I know that’s all changed since, but you can understand the logic at the time. Spinsters don’t need material things, do they? No coal for the fire? Probably having a nice hot flush. Who could get all that hungry when cats surround them in such huge numbers? Money? Ach, they’d only spend it on romance novels and Cinzano.

So these girls will only get to stay in their own home, with their own father’s meagre savings to live on, if one of them marries a man who can inherit it for them.

MRS BENNET. Jane! Let me look at you. Give us a twirl.

JANE emerges.

You are an angel! Do you see, girls, how pleasing she is?

A sarcastic groan of agreement from the crowd behind the screen.

You’re at least five times prettier than your sisters, Jane. Mr Bingley won’t be able to take his eyes off you.

JANE (bashful). Mum…

MRS BENNET. Is she not a vision?

ELIZABETH appears.

ELIZABETH. Jane would look nice if we lacquered her in liquid shite. Jane’s not a cause for concern…

MRS BENNET. Elizabeth Bennet!

ELIZABETH (to JANE). We should be asking, ‘Will this guy be good enough for you?’

JANE. He might not like me. Maybe he’ll prefer you! Imagine if Mr Bingley was destined to be your soulmate, Liz – and tonight was when you met him for the first time.

ELIZABETH. Both happiness and security… forever?

JANE. Exactly!

ELIZABETH. Nice fairytale – but I doubt it’s for me.

MRS BENNET. Lizzie! You must try to keep your conversation light this evening. In fact, no – just let him do the talking.

ELIZABETH. Men don’t like to dominate conversations, do they?

MRS BENNET. Don’t be a smart-arse, Lizzie. It’s not ladylike.

TILLIE. So you’ve got the eldest, Jane: the beautiful one – inside and out. And Liz: the sarky one. But very good to her older sister.

MRS BENNET. You’d all do well to listen to your mother’s advice! Didn’t I marry a gentleman?

ELIZABETH. Where is Dad?

MRS BENNET. Where do you think? Sat on his arse smoking that pipe…

LYDIA emerges. MRS BENNET spots her revealing outfit.

Lydia! Are you trying to kill me? Leave something to the imagination…! (Pulling at the dress.)

TILLIE (helping with LYDIA). Lydia’s the baby. Only fifteen. Attention-seeking wee bam who just does not give a sh–

LYDIA. Did you say something, Tillie?

TILLIE. Oh, no, miss.

LYDIA. Good.

MRS BENNET. Kitty!

KITTY emerges from behind the screen, she looks a bit uncomfortable with her various adornments.

TILLIE. Where Lydia leads, Kitty follows. She’s almost one year older than Lydia, but no one seems to care if she’s any wiser.

KITTY (politely). I’m not sure, Mum –

LYDIA (mocking tone). ‘Meh-meh-meh, Mum!’

KITTY. All this stuff… it’s just not ‘me’… hairpins and silk purses / and –

MRS BENNET. / And necklaces and shoe-roses! It’s all I ever hear from you, Kitty! – I suppose I was the same at your age… so fond of pretty things.

LYDIA. That brooch is mine, thieving bitch!

LYDIA launches herself at KITTY. TILLIE, used to this, holds her back. KITTY cowers on the floor. MRS BENNET is distracted with accessories.

KITTY. Please don’t hurt me again.