Emma – Rose Theatre

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her. At least, Jane Austen’s Emma did.

Ava Pickett’s Emma has got issues. Handsome and clever but decidedly not rich, her father is a crook, her sister is a crackpot, and her own disposition is anything but happy. This Essex-set adaptation of the literary classic opens at Oxford’s May Ball and is throughout infused with the vaguely sickeningly hedonistic energy of that messy melee.

Blatantly dismissive of the traditional Regency aesthetic of horse-and-carriage romance, this production instead takes on the look and feel of a Piccadilly Circus rickshaw careening through Austen’s careful plot and scattering its iconic characters between snippets of blaring pop hits and blazing neon lights. Atmospherics also include a genuinely befuddling amount of haze in the auditorium, which does more to convey the confusion and frustration of Austen’s lovers than any of their actual written dialogue.

When George Knightley (Kit Young) finally muddles his way through the fog to telling Emma (Amelia Kenworthy) that if he loved her less, he might be able to talk about it more—one of perhaps two lines directly lifted from the source text and somewhat awkwardly inserted into what is otherwise extremely regionally and temporally specific dialogue—he suddenly finds the verbosity to wax poetic for long enough that it takes some surprise snogging to get the scene back on track.

This adaptation is not particularly erotic, but it is certainly sexually liberal, and fans of the raunchy tone Bridget Jones’ Diary imbues Pride and Prejudice with, or the boisterous irreverence of Persuasion (2022), will enjoy this joyride.

Its greatest moments are, in fact, in its departures from the novel—in the character of Mr. Woodhouse, delightfully written with an obvious affection by Pickett and charmingly performed with an enchanting absurdity by Nigel Lindsay and Rob Martin; and in Emma’s best friend Harriet’s incredibly sweet and infectiously silly suitor, beautifully brought to life by newcomer Josh Bilyard. Sofia Oxenham, as Harriet herself, is almost painfully adorable, and her foibles are altogether more compelling than the coming-of-age crisis that excuses Emma’s involvement in a cast of supporting characters, each more fun and interesting than they have any right to be.

Capricious and captivating, this Emma is a wild ride.

Emma runs until 11th October at The Rose Theatre with tickets available at https://www.rosetheatre.org/

Reviewer: Kira Daniels

Reviewed: 22nd September 2025

North West End UK Rating: