Review: Emma at Lyceum Sheffield

“…a generous celebration of Austen’s world…well worth seeing…”

Emma by Jane Austen adapted by Ryan Craig, Lyceum Sheffield

By Sean Sable

As a lifelong Janeite, I hold the controversial opinion that Emma is the best of Jane Austen’s novels. I’ve read it more times than I can count and, for better or worse (mostly worse), I’ve always recognised myself in its heroine. Emma means well, meddles constantly, and only realises the damage once it’s done. Sounds painfully familiar. So, when I heard that Ryan Craig’s new adaptation was touring to Sheffield, I hoped for a version that captured everything I love about Emma, warts and all. I’m pleased to say it’s a production that visually sparkles and offers plenty of laughs, even if it sometimes seems uncertain about exactly what kind of story it wants to tell.

Craig’s script, directed by Stephen Unwin, stays less faithful to Austen’s words, preferring instead to capture the novel’s spirit with a contemporary dialogue makeover. The story remains largely the same, focusing on Emma Woodhouse, a well-intentioned young woman who takes matchmaking to careless extremes. But it injects humour that is a little broader than its source material, at times introducing a few anachronisms that might make fussier Janeite eyes twitch. The result is a script that feels approachable, though it risks losing some of the “manners” in this comedy of manners. Still, the audience found the humour captivating, and I felt the overall effect had a kind of buoyancy that kept me smiling.

Visually, the production is delightful, with staging that is kept open and flexible. A bucolic painted backdrop in a romantic style shifts from pale daylight to thunderous storms as scenes unfold. Lighting design is particularly strong. The scene changes happen in silhouette, with actors moving furniture through a backlit blue wash that gives the impression of life continuing beyond the pages of the story. My one reservation was the addition of a decorative ceiling structure that hung awkwardly over the action and seemed to add little to the scene.

The sound design is praiseworthy, and the first act in particular hums with life. We are treated to thunder, birdsong, and the faint echo of rain, all helping to craft a convincing sense of place. Similarly, the costume work is firmly rooted in a sense of time and place. The wardrobe team has leaned fully into Regency authenticity. Each character is given not one, but multiple looks, that reflect status and occasion in ways that will elicit a gentle nod over a fan from the purists. The fabrics and silhouettes are sumptuous and the hairstyles (often simplified in modern Austen stagings) retain just enough period accuracy to feel genuine.

Performances are strong across the ensemble, and without a doubt, the evening’s highlight was William Chubb’s Mr Woodhouse, who fretted over every imagined ailment with immaculate comic rhythm. India Shaw-Smith’s Emma is a commanding presence, but she occasionally feels older and more self-assured than the text suggests. This blunts some of Emma’s charming youthful impulsiveness. Still, you can’t fault her comedic timing, and she offers a blend of arrogance and vulnerability that keeps the audience rooting for her. Maiya Louise Thapar is an absolute delight as Harriet, made of nothing but sweetness and sincerity, while Ed Sayer’s Knightley finds his footing much later in the show, with a final confession that the audience can cheer for.

Throughout the night, the audience was visibly charmed. This Emma may play lightly with its source, but it does so with affection. It’s a generous celebration of Austen’s world and one that’s well worth seeing, whether you know the story by heart or are meeting Emma Woodhouse for the first time.

Emma plays at Lyceum Sheffield until Saturday 11 October. Tickets are available here.

Sean Sable is a Yorkshire-based freelance writer and editor specialising in Young Adult and Horror fiction, frequently at the same time. When she isn’t buried under a pile of books and manuscripts, she is looking for her keys and having extensive one-sided conversations, in Swedish, with her deaf cat. You can find her online at: www.seansable.co.uk