“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Pride & Prejudice, Chapter 1
Here is the most universally acknowledged famous first line in literature which continues to inspire the admiration of the world and numerous stage, film, and TV adaptations. It appears that one can never have too much of a good thing!
In the beginning — Jane Austen created six major novels, minor works, poetry and correspondence to family and friends. For one hundred and twenty years we read and cherished her prose, content to read the original source. And then there was the stage adaptation— and as the years progressed Austen’s characters were reborn, and reborn, and yet again reborn in multiple films, stage productions, radio plays, and TV . Today, Jane Austen is a hot property, but unfortunately not available for movie premieres!
One of the first major adaptations of Jane Austen’s work was a stage play of her most beloved novel Pride and Prejudice, written by Helen Jerome, entitled Pride & Prejudice: A Sentimental Comedy in Three Acts. It opened to critical acclaim at the Plymouth Theater on Broadway in New York city on November 5, 1935, and ran for 219 performances. Making the leap across the pond to England, it premiered at the St. James Theatre in London in 1936 with a new British cast featuring Cecelia Johnson as Elizabeth Bennet. The new sets and costumes were by the renown designer and book illustrator Rex Whistler (1906-1944). The whimsical program cover illustration is also by Whistler and is highly collectible by Jane Austen enthusiasts.
Wouldn’t our Jane be amused by the empire that she has inspired?
Helen Jerome’s play remains popular and is still available for to stage production. You can purchase a print copy here.
*Illustration by Rex Whistler, Theater program cover art, Pride & Prejudice, St James Theatre, London, (1936) in the public domain; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2007, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate. No AI: material on Austenprose.com may not be used in datasets for, in the development of, or as inputs to generative AI programs. Updated 20 April 2025.
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