Whenever works of literature transform into a different medium - be it movies, musicals or theater - readers instantly scrunch their noise in apprehension. As one of those very uneasy readers, I could not have been more thrilled with Book-It Theatre's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel "Emma."
"Emma" maintains all of Austen's original wit with a faithful script, and characters just as indulging and entertaining as Austen depicted. Austen's satire centers on the errors of young and charming Emma Woodhouse, played smartly by Sylvie Davidson.
At her best, Emma's hand at matchmaking stems from a good place of wanting others to be happily married. But Emma's supercilious and pretentious matchmaking skills cause more problems than she can handle.
Emma misleads other characters in matters of love as she has a knack for making erroneous conjectures about who's in love with whom. Though she means no harm, Emma's mistakes lead her down a path of much-needed maturity and humility.
And there to chastise her along the way is the dashing Mr. Knightley, played by Dylan Chalfy. Mr. Knightley has no problem pointing out Emma's misgivings but amid counseling the naïve Emma, Mr. Knightley develops a different interest in Emma.
As these two bait one another, the remaining cast dishes out laughs - from Emma's over-anxious father (Brian Thompson) to her impressionable and excitable friend Harriett (Ashley Marshal).
When Emma tries to find a husband for Harriett, she ill advises her to refuse a man Harriett loves and fall for the higher class Mr. Elton, played swimmingly by John Bianchi. Of course, Emma's advice tends to backfire in more ways than one but it takes her an entire play to gain some humility and good sense. Until then, the dashing Frank Churchill (Daniel Brockley) indulges Emma's fancy.
Some scenes lingered a little longer than necessary, but the energy of the ball scenes made up for the more static moments - as Janeites know, everything said and unsaid at a ball changes everything and has very real and immediate effects on the plot.
With such a sparse set, the rich costumes and the convincing big personalities of the actors helped Book-It take audience members into Austen's world - one which they won't regret entering.
"Emma" runs through Nov. 22 at the Center House Theatre at Seattle Center. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, with 2 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $15-$30.[[In-content Ad]]
