As Jane Austen turns 250, four new productions take on Pride and Prejudice

In Bloomshed's production of Pride and Prejudice, characters scale an enormous cake as they ascend in financial and social status. (Supplied: Simon Fazio)

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," the opening line of Pride and Prejudice asserts.

If written today, wealth and want would most likely be defined by a diversified asset portfolio.

For those unfamiliar with Jane Austen's classic 19th-century novel, Pride and Prejudice follows the trials and tribulations of the Bennet sisters, who are forced to pursue marriages because, as women, they cannot inherit their family home.

Last year marked Austen's 250th birthday, and, whether deliberately or by chance, a slew of theatre productions based on the novel have rolled out across Australia.

Bloomshed's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet against the backdrop of the Australian housing crisis. (Supplied: Malthouse Theatre/Simon Fazio)

Melbourne-bred ensemble Bloomshed has brought a wacky take to Malthouse Theatre; there's a national tour of the Laurence Olivier Award-winning Pride and Prejudice (sort of); Wendy Mocke and Lewis Treston's Matilda Award-winning adaptation returns to Queensland Theatre; and in Tasmania, Nadine Garner narrates a one-woman show.

As Australia faces housing and cost-of-living crises, does Austen's Regency tale stand the test of time in these modern interpretations?

There have been many adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, including the iconic 1995 BBC mini-series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and Joe Wright's 2005 film, featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.

Working with the constraints of stage adaptations requires imagination, but also enables a few more liberties.

Mr Bennet is played by a wilting plant, while Syd Brisbane plays both the sycophantic Mr Collins and the second-youngest Bennet daughter, Kitty.

"When you can stray from the original, it gives you more room to be theatrical, cheeky and challenge the topics," Brisbane says.

"At the Netherfield Ball with Lizzie and Darcy, we assume positions as if we're going to do a Regency-style dance, and then they jump into something that's more relaxed and clubbier," Bloomshed sound designer, Justin Gardam, adds.

Comparatively, Pride and Prejudice — An Adaptation in Words and Music provides a more traditional yet transportive experience inside the Clarendon Estate in regional Tasmania.

Nadine Garner plays all of the roles in Pride and Prejudice — An Adaptation in Words and Music. (Supplied)

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