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BrumHour saw Emma at the invite of Birmingham Rep.

By Dave Massey

Jane Austen’s Emma at Birmingham Rep: Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐”A charmingly delightful production”

Directed by Stephen Unwin, adapted by Ryan Craig

Emma loves to matchmake and prepare other women for romance and marriage. However, Emma has no such desires and lives with her grumpy but kind father. Who will turn her head in this light-hearted comedy set in 1815 in the south of England?

The elegant costumes and sparse set allow the lyrical script and strong performances to make this two-hour and forty-minute production zip by. There is a twenty-minute interval after the first hour. Unusually the second part lasts longer. There are moments of dance and song, but these aren’t used to waste time.

India Shaw-Smith’s Emma is delightful, whilst Lukwesa Mwamba plays Harriet at this performance with grace and charm. Ed Sayer’s has playful chemistry as leading man, George Knightley. Whilst William Chubb is brilliantly awkward as Emma’s father.

This is a long show, but it is rewarding. If you know the film Clueless, you will know plenty of the plot (not all). There’s certainly a lot to enjoy, and the more mushy in the audience were making “aww” sounds very late into the performance.

A charmingly delightful production. Emma is at Birmingham Rep until 4th October 2025. Book tickets here: birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/emma.