Last year, in the shadow of a cyclone, audiences watched with bated breath for the unfolding of a story for which they already knew the ending.

This July, as Queensland Theatre Company’s production of Pride & Prejudice returns to QPAC’s Playhouse, we again have the privilege of joining Miss Elizabeth Bennet (played by Maddison Burridge) in a comical exploration of her turbulent relationship with “the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry”.

For some, the narrative of Pride & Prejudice is new while, for others, the return of this production marks a rendezvous with an old and cherished friend, bringing a sense of comfort and familiarity.

The 2025 production offered a tribute to Austen’s enduring power and its return makes a bold statement – Australian audiences still care.

Last year I felt their deep engagement with the characters, with the emotions behind the play and, to an extraordinary degree, with the actors themselves. A startling number of audiences leaned forward, actively participating, waiting for classic lines to drop, and bracing for their favourite scenes before they even arrived.

The 2025 season brought with it the palpable realisation that this timeless story still had more to offer, which is why this new season feels less like a repeat and more like a second chance — a fresh opportunity for those who missed out last year, thanks to Cyclone Alfred, and for those eager to escape back into that rom-com charm.

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It warms my heart to see new generations falling in love with Regency England and travelling back into another world, one that has transformed drastically and yet not changed at all.

I always encourage reading the novel or watching the 1995 BBC miniseries, but when a story becomes a theatre production, magic happens, and QTC’s Pride & Prejudice – adapted by Wendy Mocke and Lewis Treston, directed by Bridget Boyle and Daniel Evans – morphed into something tangible and alive.

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Words breathed from the pen of 18th-century Jane Austen and leapt into the living voices of real people. Ideas took on human form. Clad in costumes that accurately reflected their characters, the actors moved through the narrative in such a free manner that it seemed they could step down from the stage and slide off script to create their own new tale. And in one sense they did, and that blew the crowd away.

While I watched, I felt the unexpected explosion of viewers connecting with the humour and energy of this play. The moments when Maddison, as Lizzy, turned a startled gaze, mischievous side glance or horrified grimace towards her audience, she instantly captured their sympathy, goodwill and generally a surge of laughter.

the story delightfully shrank hours into what seemed like a few minutes

Of course, Austen’s original tone is light-hearted, with her traditionally heavy dose of satire and wit. Yet as the actors inhabited their roles, they reinterpreted much of the comedy gold in a way that resonated with people of today: Jane, the sweet and “much-beloved sister”, Mr Bennet and his thorough understanding of his wife’s “poor nerves”, and the “charming” Mr Wickham.

Between a trio of obstinate younger sisters, a heroine equal parts grace and terrible timing, and dialogue doused in miscommunication, the story delightfully shrank hours into what seemed like a few minutes.

Part of the magic of the performance lay in its use of colour, space and lighting to convey such radically different scenes in playful, yet memorable ways.

Pemberley’s minuscule grandeur drew a ripple of laughter, while the awkwardness of the Bennets’ breakfast table created a universal wince of recognition. Each scene conjured emotions that spilled from the stage, out into the audience.

We felt the soft solemnity of a love-struck Darcy offering a desperate explanation while still clinging to the shreds of his dignity

Austen’s original novel, of course, progresses through several key letters, and the creative approach taken by this production allowed for deep character revelations. We heard the quavering, yet cocky voice of Mr Collins — who happily possesses “the talent of flattering with delicacy” — as he perched like a scrawny scavenger above audience and actors alike, heralding his intended visit.

We felt the soft solemnity of a love-struck Darcy offering a desperate explanation while still clinging to the shreds of his dignity. These elements offered a banquet for the imagination, heightening the experience and crafting a genuinely believable world.

Rather than fading out like a song, as Austen’s novel does, the production closed with even more colour than it started with. As the actors wove a pattern, much like a final dance, I could sense the room settle with a shared satisfaction. I saw the dazed delight of the onlookers when they burst first into applause and then into excited conversations with their neighbours.

The story had been told in a way that left them reluctant to return to the world of 21st-century Brisbane.

Ultimately, Austen’s classic shares a drama of personal growth, the crumbling of pride, the erosion of prejudice and the tearing down of walls, a journey that invites every generation to join.

Pride & Prejudice’s ending left a door open for future visitors who can declare with Miss Elizabeth Bennet: “Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.”

Perhaps this is why its return feels so timely and appropriate. Audiences are ready to step back into the house, join in the laughter and pick up the thread of a story they weren’t quite ready to leave behind.

Pride & Prejudice plays the Playhouse, QPAC, July 10 to 26.

queenslandtheatre.com.au/plays/pride-and-prejudice-2026

Tanya Strydom is a writer and Queensland Theatre Company contributor with a particular interest in the enduring connection audiences have with Jane Austen’s works.