'Pride and Prejudice' opens Covenant theater season - Oct. 4-Oct. 12

Friday, September 20, 2013

IF YOU GO* What: "Pride and Prejudice."* When: 7:30 p.m. today, Oct. 3 (preview); 8 p.m. Oct. 4-5 and 11; 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12.* Where: Sanderson Auditorium, Covenant College, 14049 Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain, Ga.* Admission: $3 tonight for preview; otherwise $7 adults, $5 seniors and students.* Phone: 706-419-1051.* Email: boxoffice@covenant.edu.

Covenant College will kick off its 2013-14 theater season with Jon Jory's adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." The production opens with a preview performance at 7:30 tonight, Oct. 3, and continues the next two weekends, concluding with a matinee performance on Saturday, Oct. 12.

"Pride and Prejudice" follows the story of the five Bennet sisters -- Elizabeth, Jane, Lydia, Mary and Kitty -- and the suitors who woo them. The show focuses primarily on Elizabeth and her turbulent relationship with the enigmatic Mr. Darcy.

Much of the plot contains humor, but ultimately it's "a love story with two very seemingly different personalities that shouldn't come together," says director Deborah Kirby, a Covenant professor. "But like any love story, you're hoping it works out."

Kirby says her enthusiasm for Jory's adaptation lies in the fact that the plot moves quickly while holding true to the tone and truth that Austen originally intended.

The predominantly female cast is composed primarily of students who are new to the theater department. Senior Ann Jones will be playing the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet for her senior integration project. The role is "a bit intimidating" due to its enormous popularity, she says. But as part of her SIP, she will "research various productions in the past and the play itself to create a clearer picture of who Eliza Bennet really is."