Helen Jerome

Pride and Prejudice, in particular, has been adapted and performed countless times and is a darling of the theater world.

The first big-budget professional stage adaptation was Pride and Prejudice, a sentimental comedy in three acts by Helen Jerome, which opened at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway in November 1935.

It was a huge success, running for 219 performances before transferring to the St. James Theatre in London and embarking on a national tour.

The lavish production was mounted on a scale previously unseen in Austen adaptations.