Laughing at the ‘Game of Marriage’

More than 200 years after its first publication, Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is regularly cited in polls and lists as one of the most beloved books of all time. Though impish in its own way, it’s widely seen as a novel of manners rather than a comedy.

Not so with Kate Hamill’s theatrical adaptation, which has been described by critics as “slapstick,” “screwball comedy,” “fizzy … festive,” and “frolicsome.”

“It hasn’t met a rib it can’t tickle,” a reviewer wrote in The New York Times. 

Audiences can expect all that and more from the University of Colorado Department of Theatre & Dance’s upcoming production of the 2017 play. 

“Obviously, it’s a classic. But it’s not like your usual Pride and Prejudice. It’s not Kiera Knightly,” says director James Early, a graduate student in the department. “It’s fast-paced, fun, high-energy; it moves; it cooks real fast!” 

For those who haven’t read the novel since high school, the plot revolves around the wealthy Bennet family’s attempts to marry off at least one of five daughters, to stave off a potential economic disaster dictated by patriarchal inheritance rules. Protagonist Elizabeth — Lizzy in the play — is attractive, intelligent and does not suffer fools. Her relationship with Mr. Darcy begins contentiously, but as the couple pushes against convention, they each find a stronger sense of self on their way to fulfillment, love and marriage.

Early says the production will not just lean into the comedy, but also the concept that marriage is a game whose rules are set by societal and family expectations.

“The whole production pokes at the game and stepping into expected roles,” he says. “There are numerous references to different games in the play, so it’s a major textual symbol.”

The play examines three strategies for the marriage game: Following her parents’ example, youngest daughter Lydia marries to meet societal expectations. Jane marries for love.

“Lizzy and Darcy find equals in one another,” Early says.

Austen — 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of her birth —was subtle in her critique of early 19th-century English society, but the play is under no such constraints. This fall’s production even subverts traditional gender expectations with a female-presenting actor in the role of Mr. Bennet and a male-presenting actor in the role of Lizzy’s sister Mary.

“While Austen was aware of her place in society, she wasn’t afraid to push boundaries,” the director says. “But this production is very pertinent to today, and the language is modern, not fluffy or feathery.”

The CU Boulder Department of Theatre & Dance presents Kate Hamill’s “Pride & Prejudice” in the Roe Green Theatre from Oct. 3 through 12, 2025.