Flushed by twelve years of sold out successes from Edinburgh to Adelaide to Toronto comes New Zealander Miss Ashton’s collaboration with Jane Austen (deceased). In 2025 Penny is celebrating the 250th anniversary of our lady Jane Austen’s birth by rattling her airborne carriage across the Tasman Sea to Austen’s unofficial favourite city; Hobart.

Join Elspeth as she battles literary snobbery, cousin Horatio’s digestions and her mother’s nerves, armed only with a blushing countenance, excellent ukulele skills and being quite bright, you know… for a girl.

In this hilarious, one-(freakishly talented)-woman show, Penny tackles all of Austen’s characters with song, dance and appalling cross-stitching.

Having been performed over 600 times, Promise and Promiscuity has sold out audiences from Edinburgh to Adelaide to Edmonton and gathered a veritable slew of awards and glowing reviews in its musical bonnet.

Best Theatre, Week Three Adelaide
Best Overall Show Victoria Fringe, BC
Best Touring Production, Dunedin Theatre Awards

“Catch Promise and Promiscuity... Lots of fun. Thank me later.” COLIN MOCHRIE

“Pride and Prejudice gone wild in the best way.” ★★★★★, Rip It Up, Adelaide

" ... a triumph of delightful satire." Otago Daily Times

“A razor-sharp turn of phrase” ★★★★1/2, Adelaide Advertiser

“a delight to behold” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ★★★★★

“..sparkling” ★★★★ The Scotsman

“..brilliantly performed, absolutely hilarious, and by far the best one-person show I’ve ever seen..” Mooney on Theatre, Toronto

Penny Ashton is NZ’s own global comedienne having performed over 1000 solo shows all over the world. She has represented New Zealand in Theatresports and Performance Poetry and has performed by invitation at The Glastonbury Festival and Jane Austen Festival in Bath. She is also related to Jane Austen’s rumoured flirtation, Thomas Langlois Lefroy. She is his 5th Great Niece! (This story is told in Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway). Since 2009 she has specialised in bringing literary greats to life in new and exciting ways.

70 Minutes

Promise and Promiscuity Nelson — Woman smiling in front of receptive theatre crowd in ornate theatre.