Review: Emma, The Questors Theatre

There are two universally acknowledged truths about the works of Jane Austen. The first is that any article must reference the “universally acknowledged” trope, and the second is that after Pride and Prejudice, Austen’s second most famous novel is Emma. And with good reason: the eponymous hero is a delicious blend of ego and foolishness, the plot is a page-turner, and the cast of supporting characters are amongst the most joyously conceived of Austen’s output.

This adaptation by Doon Mackichan and Martin Millar is staged in Walpole Park, next to The Questors Theatre. The small stage – complete with obligatory chaise longues – stands before an impressively grand old building which effectively evokes the mansions between which Austen’s characters flit in their breathless cycles of courtship and gossip. Slightly less authentic are the joggers and dog-walkers making use of the public pathways between house and stage, though the best laugh of the evening was arguably provided by the teenagers who passed by making ‘loser’ hand signals at the audience assembled on folding chairs and picnic blankets.

The show starts with four young female performers rapping If That Was Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night). Are we perhaps in for an ultra-modern reinvention in the vein of Baz Luhrmann’s take on Romeo + Juliet? There’s precedence after all: Austen’s story became the teen rom-com movie Clueless in 1995 – a version which has now completed its inevitable evolution into a stage musical.

But no, after a few minutes of rapping and posing feistily, the girls collapse into stereotypical giggling ninnies as they implore their “Auntie Jane” (Priya Patel) to let them play out the story of her latest book. I first assumed these five were to portray all the parts, but we’re introduced to a separate Emma (Caitlyn Vary), then her father (Nick Thomas, also covering several other roles) and later Anoop Jagan as love rat Frank Churchill. The nieces do assume supporting roles and also provide some bridging narration, while Patel also takes on the part of the story’s hero Mr Knightley.

There’s no reason this set-up shouldn’t work to tell the story just fine. But neither is it obvious in what way this permutation serves it particularly well. If you’re including men in the cast, why not find a bloke to play Knightley? And there really needs to be some sort of rationale behind repeatedly dropping in contemporary songs when every other aspect of the show, including costumes and furniture, is steadfastly old school. It’s as though there was an intention to modernise the novel but neither the writers nor director Rachel Moorhead could hit on a way to follow the idea through, instead finding themselves drawn irresistibly back to conventional period trappings.

Fortunately, Austen’s story and wittily drawn characters are strong enough to survive such shortcomings. And so there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had witnessing snobby Emma trying to matchmake her impoverished friend Harriet (Eloise McCreedy) to the despair of her older and wiser friend Mr Knightley. The gears of the plot turn as perfectly as ever, and the question of Emma’s own destiny is answered with satisfying romanticism.

Of the players, Thomas has great fun in a succession of comic cameos, and Jagan briefly shakes things up with his dashing entrance as Frank Churchill. However, the success of this 2025 production lies largely in its 1815 source material.

Written by Jane Austen
Adapted by Doon Mackichan & Martin Millar
Directed by Rachel Moorhead

The Questors Theatre’s Emma plays at Walpole Park until Saturday June 28.