The musical, based on the novel by Shannon Hale, will have two concert workshop performances at the Savoy Theatre on the 24th March.
This new musical adaptation is the third from the writers of The Book Thief (Leicester Curve, Belgrade Theatre Coventry) and Between the Lines (Off-Broadway),with book by award-winning best-selling author Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper & Small Great Things) and Timothy Allen McDonald (adaptor of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka & James and the Giant Peach) and music & lyrics by Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel (Apple TV’s Central Park & Olaf’s Frozen Adventure).
Tickets for the workshop concert performances of Austenland are on sale now.
In addition, it was announced that West End star Lucie Jones (Waitress, The Baker’s Wife, Wicked) will star as Jane Hayes. Further casting has yet to be announced.
Meet Jane Hayes – unlucky-in-love and Austen-obsessed, she’s ditching the dating apps for a dream vacation to Austenland, where every dance, duel, and scandal promises a taste of Regency romance.
But beneath the corsets and cravats lies a world where nothing is as it seems, and love is never scripted. Is the mysterious Mr Nobley an authentic suitor… or an actor who works for Austenland? Is the gorgeous gardener the real deal? Will Jane become fully immersed in the fantasy or could her true Mr Darcy be the person she least expects…
Meanwhile, the creative team behind the performances will include: direction by Jonathan O’Boyle (Cruel Intentions, The Other Palace; Calendar Girls, UK Tour) with choreography by Joanna Goodwin (My Fair Lady, Leicester Curve; An Officer and a Gentleman, UK & Ireland Tour), musical supervision, orchestration and arrangements by Matthew Malone (The Book Thief, Leicester Curve, Carousel, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), music direction by Natalie Pound (The Creakers, Southbank Centre & Theatre Royal Plymouth; Lovestuck,, Theatre Royal Stratford East), design by Polly Sullivan (Cruel Intentions The 90s Musical,The Other Palace & tour; Describe the Night, Hampstead Theatre), lighting by Jack Weir (The Woman In White, Electric Theatre; One Night Only, Sandi Toksvig, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and sound by Sound Quiet Time (Clueless, Churchill Theatre; Manic Street Creature, Southwark Playhouse, London).
It is being produced by Writers’ Cage and managed by Deus Ex Machina Productions (The Book Thief, RIDE, A Sherlock Carol, Spring Awakening).
Co-Librettists Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald said “In today’s world, we need some joy — which is why we wanted to create a musical that was a wink to Pride and Prejudice in a post-Bridgerton world. AUSTENLAND is a delightful escape for anyone who’s ever pined over Mr. Darcy… or for anyone who’s never understood his appeal. We promise songs that you’ll sing in the shower for weeks, laugh-out-loud jokes, and a reminder that everyone deserves a grand romance.”