Vanity Fair, a play adapted by playwright Kate Hamill, will be staged at the Lansburgh Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, from February 26 through March 31.
Based on the classic novel of the same name by William Makepeace Thackeray, the creative adaptation touches on the themes of female agency, friendship, and gender roles that are also relevant in times of #MeToo. The play is directed by Jessica Stone and produced in association with American Conservatory Theater.
“As the wily Becky and her gentle friend Amelia scale social ladders and hurdle the whims of fate, only one question matters: how do you get what you want in life? A bright dance hall pageant poking fun at all our pretenses, this new adaptation harnesses the frivolity of Thackeray’s novel while recasting its (anti) heroines as complex, vibrant women,” notes the event brief about the play.
According to Hamill, who previously adapted Sense & Sensibility for the stage, the women of Vanity Fair are complex and very different people. “But their approach to the patriarchal rules of their world is sometimes flawed, sometimes admirable, and altogether human,” said Hamill, calling the play a story about deep female friendship.
“I believe very deeply that women’s stories are universal stories, and that we can connect as deeply with a female protagonist as we can with a male protagonist,” she said.
The runtime of the play is two hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. You can purchase tickets here.