Birmingham Rep – until 4th October 2025
Reviewed by Emma Millward
4****
Jane Austen’s ever-popular Emma returns to the stage in a refined new adaptation by Ryan Craig and directed by Stephen Unwin. If you’re an Austen fan, you will already be familiar with the matchmaking, misunderstandings and life lessons that come with this story. But even if you are not an Austen aficionado, there’s still plenty to enjoy here.
Set in the drawing rooms and gardens of Regency England. The play follows the meddlesome but well-meaning Emma Woodhouse (India Shaw-Smith) as she navigates her way through the social circles of Highbury, Surrey, constantly trying to manage the love lives of those around her, all while maintaining that she never intends to be married. India Shaw-Smith plays her with just the right mix of confidence, playfulness, and eventually self-awareness. Emma is not always a likeable character, but Shaw-Smith manages to keep the audience on her side throughout. Alongside her, Mr Knightley (Ed Sayer) is understated, but quietly commanding. Always ready to inform Emma when she has gone too far with her intrusive ways.
The ensemble is strong. Rose Quentin delivers an outstanding performance as the outspoken Augusta Hawkins, played with devilish glee as she constantly belittles those around her, especially her bumbling new husband, Phillip Elton (Oscar Batterham). Some characters feel somewhat underwritten, particularly Jane Fairfax (Jade Kennedy) and Frank Churchill (Peter Losasso). Although both give excellent performances, the storyline of their secret relationship felt a little rushed at times, leaving certain scenes without the dramatic weight they might otherwise carry. Harriet Smith (played in this performance by understudy Lukwesa Mwamba) is the focus of Emma’s attentions throughout. As she tries to stop Harriet’s burgeoning relationship with farmer Robert Martin (Daniel Rainford), she believes he is not good enough for Harriet. Mwamba and Rainford had great chemistry as the sweet, but often naive lovers. Completing the main ensemble was William Chubb as Mr Woodhouse, who managed to steal nearly every scene! Constantly being told to leave the room or inadvertently walking in at the wrong moment, Chubb gave a hilariously droll performance and won the audience over from his very first scene.
The set and costume design by Ceci Calf is simple and effective. A wooden floor and a clouded sky backdrop remain throughout. Props are strategically moved into place by the ensemble as each new scene begins. There is just the right amount of era-appropriate ornaments and furniture. This allows the focus to remain on the characters and dialogue. The direction is assured, if slightly slow in the first act, although the pace picked up considerably in the second act as more storylines unravelled and more comedic moments kept the audience’s attention.
Stephen Unwin’s direction allows Austen’s comedy to shine through. The production is a well-crafted period piece that remains true to the source material, while still feeling relevant to today’s audiences. This is quite an achievement, considering that this year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, and the book on which the play was based was first published in 1815. Emma at Birmingham Rep is an elegant, enjoyable evening of theatre, and judging by the prolonged applause at last night’s curtain call, it would appear the Birmingham audience agreed with me.