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Adapted from the classic novel by Jane Austen
Music and Lyrics by Rita Abrams, Book by Josie Brown
The world's most beloved novel springs to life onstage, with 19 fine and funny songs that make more vivid and lively than ever the timeless story and its unforgettable characters - Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, their daughters, Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins, and Charlotte Lucas.
This show fits medium to large-sized theatres, and will appeal not only to the legions of Jane Austen fans, but to audiences of all ages and persuasions who enjoy timeless plots, great comedy, and memorable melodies.
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From NEWSWEEK, July 2 - 9, 2007
"JANE AUSTEN IS THE VIRGINIA WOOLF OF 2007
Austen is the Virgina Woolf of 2007... Like BMW, Prada and Martha Stewart, she's now a brand, and a signifier of class aspiration."
Song Reviews:
"Rita Abrams' Pride and Prejudice songs are catchy, entertaining and, in the case of the ballads, touching. She has captured the period flavor in both music and lyrics, and given the score just the right gloss. The tunes shimmer with an inviting appeal, and it's clear that the Abrams - Brown production has the right 'sensibility' for Austen and her characters. It's a great beginning to what should evolve into a winning show."
-Gerald Nachman
Theatre Critic and Author of Seriously Funny~The Rebel Comedians of the ‘50s and ‘60s
“Emmy award winning songwriter Rita Abrams has managed to bring her considerable powers to Austen's Pride and Prejudice in a way that brings that classic work alive, and keeps us thoroughly engaged as we listen to the catchy and compelling lyrics embodied in her delightful and wonderfully enchanting melodies. The songs are a triumph of inventiveness and skill, and display the abundant talent of this rich and original, gifted songwriter."
-Michael Krasny
Host of NPR's Forum (KQED, San Francisco)
and Author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life |
Cast Size:* 12 or more (7 women, 5 men)
*For smaller productions, some parts can be double-cast.
For larger shows, including community theatre, townspeople of all ages can be added for group numbers.
Orchestra:
Keyboard (including harpsichord, harp)
Guitar (one musician playing both acoustic and electric)
Bass (one musician playing both acoustic and electric, and cello if possible*)
Drums (including percussion: tambourine, bells, timpani)
Reed player who doubles on flute, oboe and clarinet
Solo violin
OPTIONAL:
Solo cello*
2nd keyboard with lute sounds, french horns, and varied colors.
Stage Requirements:
Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, with a 15-minute intermission
2 Acts: ACT 1: 8 scenes; ACT 2: 5 scenes
Rating: General audiences
Script: 127 pages
Genre: Musical Comedy
Agent:
The Robert Freedman Dramatic Agency
Robert A Freedman Dramatic Agency - Literary
1501 Broadway, Suite 2310, NY 1003
212 840 5760
RfreedmanAgent@aol.com
Creators:
RITA ABRAMS ~ Music & Lyrics
A long and winding road has led from Rita Abrams' simple little "Mill Valley" song to the intricate and ambitious music of her new work with author Josie Brown-- Pride and Prejudice, The Musical. Along the way Rita decided that her favorite pastime was sitting in the back of a darkened theatre listening to people laugh loudly, or sniffle softly, at her songs. It was only when this most challenging work was completed that Rita realized it was her first all-female collaboration--which makes it especially nice that it went so smoothly.
 JOSIE BROWN ~ Book
Josie is the author of two novels: Impossibly Tongue-Tied (HarperCollins/Avon) and True Hollywood Lies (HarperCollins/Avon), and the fictionista chick lit humor dictionary, Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans (St. Martin's Press). Her celebrity profiles and relationship articles have appeared in Redbook, Complete Woman, and have been distributed via the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International.
http://www.josiebrown.com/
The Plot: The story centers on the love lives of the Bennet family’s five daughters - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia - and the social and economic atmosphere of early nineteenth century England, which placed the utmost importance on either having or marrying into wealth.
Thus the high-strung Mrs. Bennet is thrilled with the budding liason between her eldest daughter, Jane, and the rich and agreeable Charles Bingley, a new occupant of the nearby Netherfield Estate. She is less thrilled with his friend, the aloof and less popular, though even richer, Fitzwilliam Darcy—who in spite of himself becomes bewitched by Jane’s sister, the high-spirited Elizabeth, whose initially unfavorable opinion blinds her to his growing regard for her.
Amid all this, the obsequious cousin, Mr. Collins, who will inherit the Bennet estate upon the death of Mr. Bennet, comes calling to find himself a wife — hopefully among the Bennet sisters. Rebuffed by the proud and principled Elizabeth, Mr. Collins soon finds solace in the embrace of Elizabeth’s more pragmatic friend, Charlotte Lucas. When Elizabeth visits the newlywed Collinses, she is invited to dine with Mr. Collin's patron, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, where she encounters Lady Catherine's nephew, Mr. Darcy. He mystifies Elizabeth by frequent though untalkative visits, until he shocks her with a marriage proposal. The presumptuous arrogance of his offer angers her, as does Darcy’s alleged cruelty to Elizabeth’s opportunist friend Wickham. When her sister Lydia scandalously runs off with Wickham, and Elizabeth later discovers that Darcy has anonymously forged a financially sound and face-saving marriage between them — and brought Bingley back to Jane -- her heart is his. To Mrs. Bennet’s delirium and Mr. Bennet’s delight, Jane and Elizabeth are betrothed to their wealthy beloveds, and a happy ending is had by all.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, The Musical
~Music and Lyrics by Rita Abrams ©Mill Valley Music
List of Songs
OVERTURE
*********************************ACT 1*****************************
SONG 1: Cast: PLEASANT LITTLE LIFE
SONG 2: Cast: WELCOME TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
SONG 3: Bingley, Darcy, Caroline: IT IS A TRUTH
SONG 4: Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Bennet Duet, with the Girls: FIVE DAUGHTERS
SONG 5: Cast: ASSEMBLY BALL BUZZ
SONG 6: Mrs. Bennet Solo: A HUSBAND
SONG 7: Bingley, Jane, Elizabeth and Darcy: CHANGING WORLD
SONG 8: Mr. Collins Solo: MR. COLLINS’ MARRY ANTHEM
SONG 9: Charlotte Solo: IN MY IMAGINATION
SONG 10: Jane, Elizabeth and the other Bennets: CHANGING WORLD (Reprise)
********************************ACT TWO***************************
SONG 11: Collins and Charlotte: BEING MARRIED
SONG 12: Lady Catherine DeBourgh: THAT WOULD BE ME
SONG 13: Darcy: THE ONE I COULD HAVE BEEN WITH YOU
SONG 14: Elizabeth: HOW DARE HE!
SONG 15: Elizabeth and Jane: A HUSBAND (Reprise)
SONG 16: Mr. Collins: WHAT IS A MAN TO DO?
SONG 17: Lady Catherine and Elizabeth: THAT WOULD BE ME (Reprise)
SONG 18: Darcy and Elizabeth: THE ONE WHO I WILL BE WITH YOU (Reprise)
SONG 19: Cast Finale: I WISH YOU JOY!
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