How Performing in a Musical Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice Brought Me Closer to the Book

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The son of a librarian, Chris M. Arnone’s love of books was as inevitable as gravity. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. His novel, The Hermes Protocol, was printed by Castle Bridge Media in 2023 and the subsequent ebook in that collection is due out in winter 2024. His work can be discovered in Adelaide Literary Magazine and FEED Lit Mag. You can discover him writing extra books, poetry, and appearing in Kansas City. You may comply with him on social media (Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, web site).

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This summer time and final, I had the pleasure of performing in Prejudice and Pride, a gender-swapped, American folks musical retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Instead of the English countryside, the present was set in East Tennessee. Lizzy Bennett turned Bennett Longborn. Mr. Darcy turned Ms. Darcy Fitzwilliams. And in my view, I performed Luke Charlton, the pastiche of Charlotte Lucas.

For these unfamiliar, Charlotte is Lizzy’s finest good friend. Like all younger ladies of the time, she is predicted to marry as shortly and in addition to attainable. Possessing even fewer prospects than Lizzy or her sisters, Charlotte accepts the proposal of the odious Reverend Collins. She doesn’t marry for love however as a result of she sees no different alternative.

In our musical adaptation, the Reverend Willamina Cole sweeps into Longborn Hollow, Tennessee, intent on discovering a “suitable husband.” She finds the eldest Longborn brother, Jake, already concerned. Lyle, the child brother, just isn’t clever sufficient. And as Lizzy does to Collins in the ebook, Bennett turns her down chilly. So there’s Luke, who wins her hand by default.

Being who I’m, an creator and contributor right here, I’d learn Pride and Prejudice lengthy earlier than being forged as Luke Charlton final 12 months. I understood, then, that Charlotte represents the everywoman. In the early 1800s England, a lady had nearly no path via life with out a husband. She couldn’t personal property or vote and had few choices in phrases of employment. Charlotte makes the solely alternative she will be able to at 27 years outdated, which is to settle for the first affordable proposal made.

Playing Luke Charlton, the Charlotte pastiche, over 90 instances gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding not solely of Charlotte however of the Pride and Prejudice textual content general. I had a solo tune known as “Through the Glass,” which echoes the sentiment of Charlotte’s speech to Lizzy simply earlier than Lizzy leaves Charlotte. In the tune, Luke begins feeling quite completely satisfied about his choice however realizes that he’s truly not completely satisfied. He has wealth and a residence, however he hasn’t chased any childhood goals. Nonetheless, when Bennett asks him what he’s going to do subsequent, he says, “I chose my road, Benny. We’re both out here just living life and treading whisky as best we can.”

Performing on stage, although, is akin to writing a character. It forces you to actually take into consideration what that particular person goes via, about the selections that they’ve made, and how they really feel about them. I imagined that Luke was engaged on a street crew, barely making ends meet and typically going hungry. Once he marries the millionaire televangelist, he finds himself a saved man. He has no worries and doesn’t want to take into consideration cash, however he additionally doesn’t know what his function is.

Charlotte, of course, would have been in cost of the family and been anticipated to beginning youngsters. While which will have been a widespread expectation in the early 1800s, most individuals have better ambitions than that. To have their very own goals and ambitions subsumed like that’s simply miserable. To be clear, if that IS somebody’s ambition, then that’s great. Many individuals need greater than that.

image of Chris Arnone in Prejudice and Pride — Luke Charlton and Bennett Longborn

An added wrinkle of understanding got here in that two totally different ladies carried out the position of Willamina Cole in the two years that I’ve performed this character. The first Willamina was power-hungry, utilizing televangelism as a instrument for wealth. Her religion was very a lot in doubt, and when Luke determined to strive loving her and discovering happiness someplace in that relationship, she didn’t know what to do with that real emotion.

The second Willamina actress performed the character a bit nearer to William Collins in the ebook. She was over-the-top dorky however considerably sweeter. She turned the dork who you root for, who’s A LOT, and has turned off many eligible bachelors. In this regard, when Luke determined to dedicate himself to her, she was already very a lot in love with him. Even this distinction sheds extra mild on Charlotte Lucas. So a lot of her potential happiness in her choice is predicated on how Collins feels about her and how he treats her.

Deeply understanding Charlotte Lucas is to deeply perceive the world in which Elizabeth Bennett lived and, due to this fact, to perceive the decisions that she made. Lizzy doesn’t need to settle. She doesn’t need to marry only for cash and prospects. She desires to discover somebody who’s clever, sort, and succesful. She desires to discover that particular person, fall in love, and then marry them. This alternative is definitely subversive, pushing in opposition to the patriarchal expectations placed on her. Her father’s assist of that alternative is gorgeous.

Now I simply want to persuade the writers to make a sequel to the musical in which we see extra of Luke and Willamina’s life collectively. A down-home protagonist, a televangelism empire, and a depraved Senator DeBerg. Perfect.

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