It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Jane Austen’s novels have a large, devoted following more than 200 years after her death.

Austen’s many fans will be delighted to hear that a new production called Pride and Prejudice – An Adaptation in Words and Music is about to take to the stage at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Nadine Garner. Photo supplied

It features a narrator reading an abridged version of Austen’s novel, interwoven with music that Carl Davis wrote for the famous 1995 BBC drama series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. The adaptation was first performed in the UK in 2017 on the bicentenary of Austen’s death, with Hayley Mills as the narrator.

Phil Bathols, who founded the production company Spiritworks in 1998, and who co-produces the new Australian production with Theatre Tours International, saw the UK show.

“He asked me to look at it, so I watched a promo clip of Hayley Mills performing it, and what I loved about it was the way the music underscored the story,” says Tyran Parke, who directs the...