Mr Bennet’s Bride is a full length period comedy, based on Mr and Mrs Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, exploring how this ill-matched couple met and married twenty five years before the novel’s opening. In the late eighteenth century, marriage is more a business transaction than a love affair. Pressure mounts on the young Mr Bennet to find a suitable match, but his refusal to play by the rules sets in motion a series of events that are both comic and moving.
At the premiere production at Newcastle Theatre Company, most of the seats were sold out before opening night. Many other companies in Australia and the UK have since gone on to record breaking sales and delighted audiences.
And see what the critics think:
'Austen knew what she was doing when she created her characters ... and Wood’s work is an honourable and true descendant of this great literary creation.' The Plus Ones, Melbourne Australia.
‘…there is no doubt that Jane Austen aficionados and thespians in general will embrace this sophisticated and clever script. Maybe they should start screen printing the T-shirts now.’ Michelle Gosper, Sydney Arts Guide
'It is amazing to recognise the brilliance of Emma Wood in absorbing and then matching the brilliance of Jane Austen. I can imagine an e-talking book beginning with Mr Bennet’s Bride and naturally continuing with no apparent break with Pride and Prejudice. For another 200 years.' Canberra Critics Circle 2023
‘…a play that charms the heart… a cleverly layered comedy…’
Michael Byrne, Newcastle Herald.

www.emmawoodplays.au