Mr. Darcy should smolder.
The aloof romantic hero of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, “Pride and Prejudice,” can’t be Elizabeth Bennet’s perfect love interest without that Regency-era simmer.
“He shows this kind of stiffness and awkwardness and the vulnerability and the smoldering,” playwright Emma Whipday said. “You know that the smoldering is so beautiful.
“I just, I want to walk around in that world. I want to live in it.”
If anyone knows what makes Darcy and Austen’s world tick, it’s Whipday. Her adaptation of the 19th-century author’s most famous work debuts Friday for a monthlong run at Compass Rose Theater in Annapolis. It’s just the second performance of the work, and commemorates the novelist’s 250th birthday on Dec. 13.
Director Madeline Austin — a coincidence, no ‘e’ in her last name — saw it at the American Shakespeare Center. When she was named as artistic director of the Annapolis company in July, she knew this would be one of her first works.
“It was thanks to Madeline,” Whipday said, “who emailed me.”
In England. And while Austen is an English author whose witty tale of love, relationships and family is set in the rolling green of southern England, Whipday’s home in Newcastle is in the cold, hard north.
There’s just not much call there for Austen adaptations.
“I’m really glad that this production is going on,” Whipday said. “It comes as a way for me to celebrate from afar.”
There have been stage and screen versions, quite a few. Movies, television series, and even the gothic spinoff “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”
To make a 400-page book work as a stage play, Whipday had to synthesize Austen’s narrative tension — Elizabeth’s prejudice against Darcy’s arrogance and his pride in social position — to get to the happy ending.
She had to ignore all the versions that came before, draw a map of each character’s arc and strip them down to the minimum necessary to keep the spirit of the book in a fast-paced, two-act play.
“I worked out from that which scenes were absolutely necessary for telling that story,” Whipday said. “There could only be those scenes in terms of the length of the play.”
And music. And dance. Ballroom scenes with glorious dresses, cravats and uniforms are a modern charm of Austen’s period story. The Compass Rose production includes four dances, staged on a simple set with changing backdrops.
It features Caleigh Riordan Davis as Elizabeth Bennet and Gaven Heglar as Mr. Darcy, surrounded by a cast of 10 supporting actors.
And does Heglar smolder?
“Yes, he does,” Austin said, “But the actor himself, there is a sweetness that comes out when he’s with her. There’s a tenderness in the way he speaks.”
“Pride and Prejudice” runs through Dec. 16, with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in the third-floor theater at Maryland Hall. Tickets are $25-$55, with reduced prices for students.
Here are some other great things to do in Annapolis through Nov. 20.
Mall Santa
10 a.m. Thursday
Malls may not be what they once were, but you can count on these castles of commerce to roll out Santa before the Thanksgiving turkey is cooked.
“Santapolis” — it’s a play on words, get it? — at Annapolis Mall is open seven days a week. You can make reservations for your kids — and pets — or walk up for a chat.
The visit is free, but the mall offers photo packages starting at $40.
Throwback sounds
8 p.m. Friday
Would you believe Marshall Crenshaw, the 1980s rocker known for “Someday, Someway,” got his start in a Beatles revue?
The Detroit musician played John Lennon in road company versions of “Beatlemania” before starting his own band with his brother Robert on drums and Chris Donato on bass.
Forty years later, the band’s mix of blues, British invasion and pop is at Rams Head on Stage for an all ages show. Tickets are $45-$85.
What rhymes with ...
2 p.m. Saturday
Poet David Gewanter writes about family, nature and reason in a lyrical poetry style.
Grace Cavalieri, Maryland’s 10th poet laureate, will talk with Gewanter about his works in the latest session of “Poets in the Conversation Room” at St. John’s College. The event is free.
Pivotal game
Noon Saturday
Navy (7-2, 5-1) can take a step toward home-field advantage in the American college football conference with a win over the University of South Florida (7-2, 4-1).
If the Midshipmen don’t lock it down Saturday or next weekend when they play at the University of Memphis, this will be the final home game of the regular season.
Available tickets are $40-$60.
Music of the Spheres
7:30 p.m. Saturday
Live Arts Maryland continues its history of performing new choral music with “Music of the Spheres” at Maryland Hall.
“Illuminare,” a new work by American composer Elaine Hagenberg, is the centerpiece of the program, supported by music from Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds and Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen.
Tickets are $40 to $60, plus taxes and fees.
Album release party
7:30 p.m. Monday
Doug Segree is a familiar face in Annapolis music, a popular singer-songwriter whose band is a presence on regional stages.
He’ll launch his new album “Keep Looking Up” at 49 West Coffee House, part of the Itzall Goode Concert Series and SHC Music Tribe events.
Tickets are $20 in advance, and $23 at the door.
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