Theatre For a Cause’s ‘Pride and Prejudice Revisited’ Injects Evergreen Hits

The evergreen themes of relationships and family ties in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice drew New Delhi theater director Ritu R. Chandra to adapt it, but she wanted to add music.

On Sept. 28 at Apparel House in Gurugram and on Oct. 4 at Shri Ram Centre in New Delhi, you’ll see Theatre for a Cause bring the novel not just to a play format, but a musical – featuring performance of songs by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Phil Collins, Miley Cyrus and more worked into the plot.

Pride and Prejudice Revisited is, at its core, also a way for Theatre for a Cause to host a fundraiser for non-profit organization Magic Bus India Foundation. Part of the proceeds from the production – directed by Chandra and produced by actor Vandana Munjal – will go towards the organization which aims to “equip adolescents to complete their secondary education and enable youth to secure sustainable jobs,” according to an event description.

Munjal says with a laugh about picking Pride and Prejudice, “It was published in 1800 and something about women and stressing about the most important thing being getting a good husband, and nothing seems to have changed.”

In addition to actors performing, the production involves dancers and singers on stage. “We have live singing, so that’s really nice and it connects with the audience […] Of course, funds are limited, so we can’t really become like Broadway, but we do a pretty good job, even though I’m saying it myself,” Chandra adds.

Past productions by Theatre for a Cause include Queen of Rock – based on the life of Freddie Mercury – and Mamma Mia! Each time, they’ve partnered with various companies including the taxi service run by women drivers in Delhi called Sakha Cabs, multi-city café chain Mitti Café, Salaam Baalak Trust which supports street children and more. “We could very well probably continue with the same NGO, but the idea is to highlight different issues in society and different organizations who are doing such fabulous work,” Munjal says.

The response has been great so far, with previous productions playing to a sold-out audience. Chandra admits they do cater to a “more educated audience,” however, since they are adapting works that have a specific sense of “nuance and humor.” She adds, “A lot of them who come are slightly older. They know the music, they understand it, they know the story.” Munjal, however, adds, “Some young mothers who come with the children to say, ‘We wanted our children to relate to this book that we’ve read.’”

Songs that will be a part of Pride and Prejudice Revisited include Neil Diamond’s “Beautiful Noise,” “Fly Me To the Moon,” “What a Wonderful World,” but also newer cuts like “Macarena” (which, Munjal points out, comes at a very somber ballroom courtship scene to break the ice) and The Lion King song “Circle of Life” to bring the play to a close.

Munjal adds that Chandra “chose it purposely” in order to bring the focus back to the charitable nature of the event. She says, “We bring them onto stage, and we form sort of a circle around them as they come onto stage, and the focus goes on them, because that’s what we are really trying to highlight.”

Get tickets for ‘Pride and Prejudice Revisited’ by Theatre for a Cause here.