Live theater returning to ICPA with ‘Pride and Prejudice’

LEAVENWORTH - Icicle Creek Center for the Performing Arts is returning to live theatrical productions with Kate Hamill's retelling of Jane Austen's classic romance "Pride and Prejudice."

This will be the first live theater piece that ICPA has produced since the pandemic.

In this contemporary take on this classic, the audience will encounter a fresh perspective on the timeless themes of love and societal expectations. This adaptation offers a more dynamic and unconventional approach to the story.

The outspoken Lizzy Bennet resists the pressure to conform to societal norms by avoiding marriage. Yet, can she truly resist the allure of love, especially when faced with the enigmatic, occasionally amusing, and somewhat exasperating Mr. Darcy? In this modern adaptation, the classic story takes on a more lively and relatable tone, breathing new life into the well-known narrative.

This interpretation of "Pride and Prejudice" prompts us to consider the complexities of love as it explores the quirks and follies that can arise in the pursuit of romantic happiness.

"So, Kate Hamill, who is the author or writer, I should say is honestly I feel like she may be sort of a modern-day Jane Austen," assistant director McKenzie Baird said. "She has that sort of same idea of really using witticism to comment on society, and she just brings the story that I think everybody loves forward for this generation." 

"So it is a little punchier, it's a little faster," she said. "To me, it hit a lot more on a broader spectrum of emotions. One minute, you'll be laughing your face off, and the next minute someone says something that just gut punches you with its truth. So to me, I think it is more like a distilled and refined version that sort of takes all of the fluff and extra and dispels that and leaves the heart of what used to be the original Jane Austen production.

"And she does a really interesting thing that she intentionally has several of the actors double cast as multiple characters," Baird added. "And the idea is that, within those shared roles, you can start to see the similarities between characters you might not have realized had some of the same, like follies or flaws."

Caroline Rensel will play the leading lady, Lizzy Bennet. 

"This show is going to be a tour de force for all the actors who are doubling (playing more than one character)," Rensel said. "For those actors there is lovely contrast between seeing the same actor play Bingley with his high energy and also Mary and I think it's going to be super tickling and delightful to audiences."

ICPA Executive Director Phil Lacey will direct the cast of local favorites like John Wagner, Skyler Cuthill, newcomers to the area Marcus Wolf, Caroline Rensel, and Rachel Powers and returning Seattle favorites Christopher Puckett, Marina Pierce, Terry Boyd, Dr. Diana Trotter, and Katie Dreessen. 

The show runs for two weekends in November, the 17-19 and 24-26. For showtimes and tickets, visit icicle.org.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media