'Pride and Prejudice,' the musical, in Tamaqua
ABOVE: Tamaqua Area Drama Club cast members Talia Lewis, Leah Mateyak, Sarah Martinez, Jocelyn Rega, Alicen Hull and Amy Hadesty, shown during rehearsal for its rendition of "Pride and Prejudice," which will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday in the school district auditorium. LEFT: Tamaqua Area Drama Club cast members David Hull and Michael Hegedus rehearse a scene in advance of their upcoming production. TERRY AHNER/TIMES NEWS PHOTOS
Classic romantic comedies are hard to come by these days.
Yet, that's exactly what the Tamaqua Area Drama Club has in store for its audience when it performs its rendition of "Pride and Prejudice."
Show times are at 7 p.m. Friday, as well as 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. The cost of admission is $8 for students and $10 for adults, and tickets can be purchased at the door.
"The central theme of 'Pride and Prejudice' is that in order to be able to free yourself to love another person, you have to be able to set aside any and all preconceptions or prejudices that you have about both them and yourself," said Adriane Drum, Drama Club adviser.
"You have to be able to see that person as they truly are, not how you think they are or want them to be, in order to fully love them."
Drum explained, "I always try to choose shows that will highlight the talents of the particular cast that I have each year, but I also look to do shows that are different from our previous productions.
"I think that enables the students to continue to grow as actors and actresses, and keeps things fresh for our audience."
She added, "We have never attempted a classic romantic comedy, so that was one of the reasons I chose the iconic story of 'Pride and Prejudice.' However, I also wanted to do two musicals this year because of the strong vocalists that I have.
"We usually do a play in the fall and a musical in the spring, but this year, I wanted to feature the vocal talents we are blessed with more than one time."
She said the students and the characters they portray are as follows: Senior Hannah Betz (Elizabeth Bennet), senior George Hegedus (Mr. Darcy), sophomore Emily Barret (Mrs. Bennet), senior Zachary Deem (Mr. Bennet) and sophomore Alicen Hull (Jane Bennet).
Also, senior Spencer DePue (Mr. Bingley), senior Zoe Snyder (Caroline Bingley), sophomore Claire Lewis (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), senior Micaiah Shupp (Mr. Colins), senior Joshua Gordon (Mr. Wickham), and sophomore Sarah Martinez (Lydia Bennet).
Drum said she would like for the audience to witness the production in a new format.
"While many audience members are likely familiar with Austen's novel and/or movie versions of the story, for most, the musical adaptation will be new," she said.
"It is my hope that they will enjoy seeing this much-loved classic in a new format."
Drum added, "There are many beautiful songs in this show, and we have such talented students performing them, so my goal is to make the audience love the music, characters and story as much as I do."
