(ORADELL, NJ) -- Heed the invite from some of the most memorable characters in fiction!  Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America's longest-running little theater companies, will open its first mainstage production of the new year with a comedic retelling of Jane Austen's great romantic tale Pride and Prejudice. Performances run weekends from February 3-24, 2024 at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell.

Jane Austen’s most famous novel has been adapted hundreds of times – but the theatrical production written by Kate Hamill breaks a few boundaries. As Hamill herself tells directors of the play, “if you think something can be a dirty joke, it probably is.”  In 2017, Hamill was named “Playwright of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal, and since then she has become one of the most-produced playwrights in America. 

Hamill's plays are primarily female-centered, playful and sometimes absurd.  Pride and Prejudice is no exception: wickedly funny, it features deviousness, disgrace, and deceit. “As written…it has a giddy sense of chaos, while attempting to maintain the upper crust veneer of British society types vying for social position…” (DC THEATRE SCENE).

This rendition, based on a novel written more than two hundred years ago, is about more than a mother trying to marry off her daughters. It keeps things contemporary with discos and characters in high tops who play multiple gender roles. “The play stays true to the source material and its intent, while playing up the sexuality and silliness,” says director Carol Fisher. “But it is amazingly relevant, and the story is timeless. I want audiences to fall in love with it as they did the original but have a lot of laughs along the way.”

The tale follows the clever and independent-willed Elizabeth Bennet who has no thoughts of marriage, unlike her sisters and overzealous mother, but the arrival of the enigmatic Mr. Darcy may change all of that. As they navigate regency era expectations and societal obstacles, they must learn to overcome their pride and prejudice to find their happy ending.

BCP Life Member Carol Fisher of Teaneck has directed numerous productions for BCP, including Church and State, The Lion in Winter, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A Shayna Maidel, Is There Life After High School? and Sordid Lives. Audiences have enjoyed her performances at the Little Firehouse Theatre in various shows, including Steel Magnolias, Pippin and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

The talented cast of Pride and Prejudice includes Angelina Aragona of Township of Washington as Jane/Miss De Bourgh, Erin Arnold of West Orange as Lizzy, Janica Carpenter of Old Tappan as Lydia/Lady Catherine, Mic McCormack of Tenafly as Mr. Bennett/Charlotte Lucas, Sean Buckley of Secaucus as Mr. Darcy, Damon Fischetti of Nyack, NY as Mr. Bingley/Mary, Eric Holzer of Bloomfield as Mr. Collins/Mr. Wickham/Miss Bingley, and

Rachel Alt of Ridgefield as Mrs. Bennett. The ensemble includes Darlene Slezak and Ken Slezak of Oradell, Joellen Tierney of Wyckoff, Lola Yona of Glen Rock, Olga Garey of Paramus, Scout Schiro of Moonachie, Maureen

Mulvihill of Edgewater, S.B. Kates of New Milford, Malina Halpin and Fergus Halpin of Ridgewood.

The production team is comprised of Michele Roth (Producer), Christine Francois (Assistant Director), Debbie Zika (Stage Manager), Elisabeth Julia (Choreographer), Allan Seward (Lighting Design), Sandra Conklin Hughes (Lighting Operation), Tim Larsen (Sound Design), Adam Mahonchak (Sound Operation), Gerard Bourcier (Set Design), Ellyn Essig (Set Décor), Maureen Mulvihill (Costume Head) Scout Schiro, Karen Markle and Cathie Mack (Costumes), S.B. Kates (Props Head), Melina Halpin (Props), Richard Frant (Photography), Cammy Bourcier (Publicity), Marci Weinstein and Danny Sherwood (Program Bios), Katie Lupfer (Member-at-Large), and Sharla Herbert (Headshot Board).

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION:

* All performances take place at The Little Firehouse Theatre at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, home to the Bergen County Players since 1949.  Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.

* Tickets for Pride and Prejudice are $25 for Friday and Saturday performances and $23 for those on Sunday.

* Tickets can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. Visa, Master Card, and American Express are accepted.

* Those interested in Group Sales or benefit theater parties can call (201) 261-4200 (option #6).

* BCP offers seating to accommodate patrons who are mobility impaired and can transfer from a wheelchair. These seats can be purchased by calling the box office at 201-261-4200 and will be released for public sale two weeks prior to performance.

* BCP's popular Questions & Artists talkback session with cast and crew will be held following the performance on Friday, February 9.

* Advance discount tickets for students age 25 and under with proper ID are available for $18 by phone or walk-up at every performance, pending seat availability. Not available online. There is a limit of one discount ticket per student ID.

* "Rush' discount tickets for students aged 25 and under with proper ID are available for $5 at the box office window, starting 30 minutes prior to curtain. There is a limit of one Rush ticket per student ID and cash is the only payment method accepted.

* A new program is now available for qualified non-profit organizations to use one performance of each production as a fundraising event. The group will book all 200 seats at a deeply discounted price and then resell the tickets at a price of their choosing, with the difference in price kept by the group. The available date is the Thursday of each show’s final weekend. Interested groups can email fundraising@bcplayers.org for more information.

* Parking is free for their patrons at the Park Avenue municipal lot, across the street, one-half block north of the theater, as well as street parking on Kinderkamack Road and various side streets, all within easy walking distance.

The Bergen County Players, Inc. is a non-Equity, non-profit community theater company dedicated to presenting quality productions for the enrichment of the community.

ALL PHOTOS BY Richard Frant