We are astonished to report that Miss Lerner waltzes
This is a great report from the BBC on the gathering at Chawton last week to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen coming to live at Chawton. The video includes an interview with Sandy Lerner, some glimpses of the ball, at which Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul (who played Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in the 1980ish BBC adaptation of P&P) are shown dancing. Also we are shocked and grieved to see that Miss Lerner waltzed with Mr. Darcy. We had not heard she was so fast. 
There’s also a funny tidbit from the academic conference JAS AGM at Chawton Cottage (scroll down past the royal gossip).
Members of the Jane Austen Society, who gathered at Chawton, Hampshire, at the weekend to mark the 200th anniversary of the author’s arrival in the village, didn’t quite know what to expect of the guest speaker, the mischievous columnist and broadcaster Matthew Parris.
But they needn’t have worried – he delivered a witty and illuminating talk on Austen.
And Parris, who is gay, got an extra laugh when outgoing chairman Patrick Stokes – dubbed ‘Admiral’ by the previous speaker because he is a descendant of one of Jane’s seamen brothers – offered him a glass of water.
‘Thank you,’ said Parris, adding in a waspish aside worthy of Austen: ‘Or maybe it should be: “Well hello, sailor.” ‘
Heeeee.
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Welcome back Mags. Oh to dance with my fav Mr. Darcy, David Rintoul (as is Miss Lerners). Looks like an incredible dinner & ball. Dying to hear all about the conference.
Mags, Mr Parris was not a speaker at the academic conference New Studies In Jane Austen, which took place at Chawton from 9-11 July – I know this because I was there myself. He was the speaker at the Jane Austen Society AGM, a one-day event which is always held in a marquee on the lawn at Chawton (we were allowed inside the house for the conference, the decorations for the dinner and ball – which was not part of the conference but had taken place the previous weekend – were still up but sadly David Rintoul had gone home to Aberdeen) on the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of Jane Austen’s death and this year fell on the exact date, July 18th. You can see why nobody in the UK would be attracted to the notion of having an event in a tent on the anniversary of her birth, 16 December. I wasn’t at the AGM, having chosen the conference instead.
Laurel Ann, you may like to know there is to be a special issue of the JASNA publication Persuasions devoted to the conference, and Mr Parris’ speech will doubtless appear in the 2010 JAS Report, as is the usual custom.
Sandy Lerner spoke at the opening of the conference. It seems she intends to add to the paraliterature by writing a sequel to – guess what novel? She read an extract, which featured a truly bizarre misunderstanding between a grande dame and a new baronet from a different book.
Elizabeth Garvie and her fine eyes and very fine smile, lover her! and Mr. Rintoul, I dare say, was very charming dancing with Miss Lerner…
thanks, Mags
Oh to be in England! That BBC clip is divine — thanks for the link.
What a wonderful clip! Elizabeth Garvie is my favorite Lizzy and it’s so nice to see her again. I so envy Sandy Lerner having the time, talent, brains and money to do what she has done in her life and at Chawton. She absolutely deserves her dance with Darcy!
That was delightful!
I will take Greer Garson and Jennifer Elhe as Lizzy….
And I will take Matthew McFadyen (with a new script) and Elliot Cowan as Darcy. Enough of everybody for everybody! (Except decent P&P adaptors…)
I think Heidi Thomas would do a decent job with any Jane Austen script. Look at the wonderful job she did with Cranford! Even if she didn’t quote directly from the books we know she tried to stay within the time period, was respectful to Elizabeth Gaskell, and didn’t come across as “dumbing down” things for this century.
Elizabeth Garvie still has fine eyes and a delightful smile. She and Garson are still my favorite Elizabeths. And I will always love David Rintoul.
For the First Annual Austen Blog World Headquarters Regency Ball Ms.Sandy Lerner would have to be invited….
Shall We Dance? …..