Mr Bennet's Bride
7–23 September 2023
Written by Emma Wood
Directed by Aarne Neeme AM
Preview Thursday 7 September (followed by a Q&A with the cast and director)
Season: 8 – 23 September 2023
Evenings 7:30pm: Wed – Sat
Matinees 2pm: 16, 17 & 23 September
A man in possession of a fortune must be careful how he chooses a wife.
In country England, 25 years before Pride and Prejudice, the convoluted landscape of family loyalties and social expectations makes marriage frustratingly necessary. Still, Mr Bennet is determined to choose a wife on his own terms—a decision he may come to repent for many long years! This prequel you’ve always wanted reveals a backstory for Austen’s greatly-loved, but ill matched, Mr and Mrs Bennet.
Mr Bennet’s Bride explores the fun that can be had in reimagining the lives of familiar characters and how they came to be as we know them.
An amateur production by arrangement with Stagescripts Ltd
CAST
Robert Bennet — Rob de Fries
James Bennet — Sean Sadimoen
Mary Ellingworth — Liz St Clair Long
Benedict Collins — Terry Johnson
Mrs Graves — Sally Rynveld
George Gardiner — Iain Murray
Sarah Gardiner — Kate Harris
Emily Gardiner — Stephanie Waldron
Mrs Bowman — Rina Onorato
Clara Bowman — Cameron Rose
MEDIA
CityNews, Helen Musa — Playwright ponders how the Bennets got together
"In what playwright Emma Wood almost blushes to admit might be called 'fan fiction', the play is about the courtship between that unlikely couple, Mr and Mrs Bennet, of 'Pride and Prejudice'."
Canberra Times, Ron Cerabona — Mr Bennet's Bride is a Jane Austen prequel about an earlier match
"While the story's ending is known in advance to anyone who's familiar with Austen's novel or one of its many stage and screen adaptations, the fun, as with any romantic comedy, is in how it unfolds."
REVIEWS
Stage Whispers, John P. Harvey — Mr Bennet’s Bride
"Excellent coordination between players ensured fine comic moments of formal politeness and of subtly revealed exasperation.
"
CityNews, Simone Penkethman — Sharp comic spark as Mr Bennet gets his bride
"...this show is a beautifully produced drawing room comedy. Costume designer Anna Senior, set designer Andrew Kay and the production team create a feast for the senses that always supports and never competes with the narrative.
"
Canberra Critics Circle, Len Power — Mr Bennet's Bride
"Director, Aarne Neeme, brings this world beautifully to life with a good-looking production that is full of energy and fine performances."
Canberra Critics Circle, Peter Wilkins — Mr Bennet's Bride
"The actors embrace the silliness and small village nature of Austen’s society with enthusiasm. Director Aarne Neeme deftly introduces moments of awkward silence and comical business and reactions to heighten the hilarity ... And judging by an almost full house the audience found it all rollicking good fun as their laughter echoed through the auditorium."
Canberra Critics Circle, Frank McKone — Mr Bennet's Bride
"Emma Wood’s script is perfect for naturalistic acting, and every member of the cast presented beautifully defined characters whose motivations for speaking were so clear that, as the relationships developed, I found myself reacting as if I knew these people personally..."
Canberra Critics Circle, Alanna Maclean — Mr Bennet’s Bride by Emma Wood
"Austen is a hard act to follow (or to precede) but Emma Wood’s version of the Bennets’ wooing has an emotional and verbal accuracy about it that is highly convincing and very enjoyable."
ONLINE PROGRAM
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
Thursday 7 September, 7:30pm Preview (followed by a Q&A with the Cast & Director)
Friday 8 September, 7:30pm Opening Night
Saturday 9 September, 7:30pm
Wednesday 13 September, 7:30pm
Thursday 14 September, 7:30pm
Friday 15 September, 7:30pm
Saturday 16 September, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday 17 September, 2:00pm
Wednesday 20 September, 7:30pm
Thursday 21 September, 7:30pm
Friday 22 September, 7:30pm
Saturday 23 September, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
TICKETS
Season subscriptions available now, see our 2023 Subscriptions page for details.
Gift vouchers now available for season subscriptions and single tickets — give the gift of REP
Single tickets on sale now.
Standard — $50
Preview — $40
Members — $38
Under 30s — $25
Concession (Full Time Student, Concession Card, Seniors Card) — $40
Group (6+) — $40
All sales are subject to a $4 per transaction Telephone Booking Fee
