Bloomshed’s production of Pride and Prejudice has landed at the Darebin Arts Centre with an ingenious and irreverent take on the Jane Austen classic. Set through the lens of today’s housing crisis, this revival swaps Regency ballrooms for biting satire and a potted monstera as Mr. Bennet, delivering a highly entertaining romp from start to finish.
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a witty romantic novel set in rural England during the early 1800s. It centres on Elizabeth Bennet, the intelligent and independent second eldest of five daughters, as she navigates love, social expectations, and family pressures.
When the proud and wealthy Mr Darcy arrives in her world, sparks fly – first in conflict, then in affection. Through misunderstandings, revelations, and personal growth both Elizabeth and Darcy confront their own prejudices. The novel critiques class, marriage, and gender roles of the time, all while offering a compelling and enduring love story between two complex and evolving characters.
Bloomshed keeps the skeleton of the novel, but gives it a radical, theatrical overhaul aimed squarely at 21st-century audiences. All the same characters are there: Mrs Bennet’s obsession with strategic unions is sharper than ever, and the Bennet sisters – Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Lydia and Kitty – are reimagined with distinct modern quirks.
Jane (who is referred to as ‘the sexy one’ by her mother) and Elizabeth wrestle with the concept of marrying for love, while Mary’s goth phase and Lydia’s militia crush land laughs and commentary in equal measure.
Mr Darcy is every bit the pompous and arrogant yet misunderstood character from the novel but transformed, as is the rest of the cast, from Austen’s world of class and courtship into a punchy exploration of contemporary crises – unaffordable housing, economic uncertainty, and the collapse of marriage as a social institution.
Despite the satirical sting, the heart of the show lies in Elizabeth Brennan’s grounded portrayal of Elizabeth and James Jackson’s interpretation of Darcy – two steadfast presences anchoring the ensemble’s frenetic energy.
Visually, the production leans into absurdity with flair: a colossal wedding cake serves as the stage, actors burst into choreographed dance, chase through audience aisles and even pause in motionless tableaux that provoke laughter simply with their stillness.
For theatre lovers craving smart and irreverent storytelling, this Pride & Prejudice is a clever and hilarious must-see. It’s running at Darebin Arts Centre in Preston until 10 August, before heading to Geelong Arts Centre (15-16 August) and Bunjil Place in Narre Warren (22-23 August). More information here.
