At Gateway Theatre, Scott Bellis directs a wonderfully fast-paced Pride and Prejudice
Playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation leans into comedy while staying true to Jane Austen’s classic 1813 novel
Pride and Prejudice.
Gateway Theatre and Western Canada Theatre present Pride and Prejudice from April 17 to 26
THEATRE ARTIST SCOTT BELLIS is certainly no stranger to acting in literary adaptations. Earlier this year, he played the evil Cardinal Richelieu in the Arts Club Theatre Company and Citadel Theatre’s The Three Musketeers; and shortly before that, he was Scrooge in Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol (a country twist on the Charles Dickens novel).
Now Bellis is tackling a classic from a different angle as director of Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice, which is about to close Gateway Theatre’s 40th-anniversary season. The adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel tells the story of the intelligent, outspoken young woman Elizabeth Bennet and the rich, handsome eligible bachelor Mr. Darcy. While Elizabeth is opposed to the concept of marriage, Darcy is determined to win her over, which prompts explorations of gender inequality, societal pressures, and the true meaning of love.
In this version, playwright Hamill has amped up the storyline by balancing out everyday events and conversations with fast-paced staging and rib-tickling comedy. That added pep helps make this literary classic accessible to modern audiences without driving away fans of the original.
“I really appreciate her ability to send up the genre, but also honour it at the same time,” Bellis tells Stir of Hamill. “Even though her adaptations are quite wacky, they also remain true to the heart of the story. And I think she does such a great job of blending those things together.”
Vancouver theatre enthusiasts may be familiar with Hamill’s work from the Arts Club’s 2023 production of her Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility, which was complete with a Greek-like chorus of lively Gossips that commented on the story of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood as it went along. Hamill’s take on Pride and Prejudice brings a similar element of humour to the table; she pokes fun at the Regency world while still honouring its place in the plot.
“I think audiences will be surprised by it,” Bellis shares, “because when you go and see a show called Pride and Prejudice, you probably have some idea of what it’s going to be like. And this kind of turns that on its ear a little bit.”
Beyond literary adaptations, Bellis’s experience is firmly rooted in the realm of Shakespeare; he’s a founding member of Bard on the Beach, and has taken part in more than 40 productions since the festival’s inaugural season in 1990. Last summer at Vanier Park, he appeared as the merchant Egeon in The Comedy of Errors, and as three characters in a Footloose-inspired Measure for Measure.
As for Pride and Prejudice, Bellis attributes the story’s enduring popularity to Elizabeth and Darcy’s relatability.
“I think we can all recognize that when we’re pursuing the things we want in life, when we’re trying to be true to ourselves, sometimes we’re our own worst enemy, you know?” he says. “We stand in our own way. We let our own biases and our own assumptions about other people get in the way of seeing the truth of the situation sometimes. And I think that part of the story with Lizzie and Darcy is he finds it difficult to move through his pride, and she finds it difficult to shed her prejudice. So the story really is about them working through those things to find each other.”
Pride and Prejudice will run from April 17 to 26. For audiences who want to fully embrace the 19th-century feel of it all, Gateway Theatre is hosting a special matinee performance of Pride and Prejudice on April 23 with tea and cake before the show, and then an artist talkback afterwards. So raise a cup to the undeniable appeal of literary adaptations—and expect an abundance of charm, wit, and sophistication during the show.
“Bringing these works to the stage is a real treat for us as artists,” Bellis says. “And I think it’s really fun for the audience to come see a story that they know, staged in a way that they might not have seen before.” 
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