Reviewed
by Judy Richter
TheatreWorks has always made the nurturing and
staging of new works a primary mission. In fact, its first 13 productions,
starting in the summer of 1970, were world premieres. Now, as it starts its
38th year, the company founded by Artistic Director Robert Kelley has just notched its 50th world
premiere, a musical version of Jane Austen's novel "Emma." Its music, lyrics and
book are by Paul Gordon, Tony-nominated for his music and lyrics to "Jane Eyre" (staged by TheatreWorks
after its 2000 Broadway run). "Emma" was primarily developed through
TheatreWorks' New Works Initiative, an incubator for new plays and musicals,
and its New Works Festival, where staged readings involve valuable audience
feedback.
"Emma"
has already been such a big hit at the box office that right after opening
night, the company announced a one-week extension. Although Gordon might still
want to do a little tweaking before "Emma" goes to a hoped-for
Broadway production, what's on stage now is highly polished, thanks not only to
Gordon but also to director Kelley, who has contributed his adroit staging,
near-perfect casting and a first-rate design team.
At
the heart of this production is the radiant Lianne Marie Dobbs as the title character, a young
woman who belongs to the English landed gentry in 1815. Having successfully
engineered a romance and wedding for her governess, Emma fancies herself a
matchmaker and sets her sights on finding an appropriate husband for her shy
friend Harriet Smith (Dani Marcus). Harriet's situation is complicated by the fact that
she doesn't know who her parents are, but she has been smitten with a kind
young farmer, Robert Martin (Nick Nakashima). Emma ignores him in favor of
the village's new vicar, Mr. Elton (Brian Herndon).
In
the meantime, Emma is taken with the idea of pairing herself with a young man
she has yet to meet, Frank Churchill (Travis Poelle), the son of her governess' new
husband. She also has a longtime friend, Mr. Knightley (Timothy Gulan), an apparently avowed bachelor
whose brother is married to her sister. Mr. Knightley is the only person who's
willing to take Emma to task for toying with people's emotions, and they often
bicker. In the end, though, everyone winds up somewhat happily, especially Emma
and Mr. Knightley, who are updated versions of Shakespeare's Beatrice and Benedick.
Gordon's
music is pleasingly melodious, enhanced by outstanding singing throughout the
14-member cast and by an orchestral score for four musicians: piano, violin,
cello and oboe/English horn. Conducted from the piano by musical director William
Liberatore, this
chamber orchestra sits atop an upstage gazebo. Most of Gordon's lyrics and
dialogue come directly from the novel, he says in the program.
Joe
Ragey's fluid
set, complemented by Steven B. Mannshardt's lighting, accommodates easy scene changes, as
do Fumiko Bielefeldt's costumes. Emma, for example, wears the same white dress throughout
the show, but quickly changes bonnets, shawls and other accessories to add
variety and advance the plot. This is not a show for big production numbers,
but MaryBeth Cavanaugh's relatively uncomplicated choreography nevertheless adds visual
interest. The sound design by Cliff Caruthers is effective for the most part,
but Dobbs' microphone was slightly distorted during the first few minutes of
the reviewed performance.
Smaller
roles are ably filled by George Ward as Emma's father, Suzanne Grodner as Miss Bates, Laurie Strawn as Mrs. Bates, Richard
Frederick as Mr.
Weston, Alison Ewing as Mrs. Weston, Mindy Lym as Jane Fairfax, Danielle Levin as Mrs. Elton and Sean Patrick
Murtagh as the
butler. Several cast members assume other roles as well.
Kudos
most of all to Dobbs, whose Emma is onstage nearly all the time, and whose
expert singing and high energy never wane. She's well paired with Gulan as Mr.
Knightley, for Gulan, too, has a fine voice and strong stage presence.
"Emma"
may or may not make it on Broadway, but it certainly appears to have a bright
future on the regional theater circuit.
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