Emma - ARENA Theatre Productions (11 May 2024)

How exhausting polite society must be. All that scheming for social advantage. All that matchmaking. What mischief one might get into if one so chose. And choose Emma Woodhouse (Kate Naunton Morgan) does at the behest of Jane Austen herself (Ashlee McKenna) who propels her heroine from imagination onto the page and into the theatre itself. 

Emma makes Harriet Smith (Millie Hillman) a project for whom to find an agreeable suitor, certainly one far more agreeable than one Robert Martin (Callum Vinsen) who is a mere, gasp, farmer whilst avoiding romantic entanglements herself. Along the way, many other families from the fictional village of Highbury will become inevitably embroiled in Emma's machinations before Emma herself succumbs to an unforeseen fate. It is a very particular comedy of manners set in a world where such things are paramount. 

That world is stylishly realised with effective costume and set design with well considered use of lighting (Design Jayden French, Operator Mark Belstead) and sound design (Sound Operator Liam Tickner, Audio Advisor Jon Hoey) to represent the various households and surrounds. The indoor set is well dressed with elegant furniture and props that are easily moved for larger moments such as the ballroom scenes. The costumes are also elegant and suggestive of the period while I particularly liked the attention given to the hairstyles of all the women characters. There is clever use of lighting to denote evening scenes stage left where there is a bench under a tree on the grounds, and McKenna's Austen is often spotlighted in one of her primary positions stage right. Sound incorporates everything from birds in the gardens to a piano forte to add nearly a sense of whimsy to proceedings with music credits adding class with selections from Vivaldi to Mozart. 

As Director Simon James says in the (also stylishly presented) online programme, this is a minimalist production as befits a community theatre undertaking and to focus on the performances. The credits reveal it has indeed been a shared endeavour with several members of the cast involved in costumes, props, stage management, choreography and even IT support! James himself is credited for not only Director but Script Adaptation, Set Design, Props, Sound Recordist, Set Construction, and Publicity Design!

To those performances and there are three in particular that are the bedrock on which the play is built. I first came across Kate Naunton Morgan in two shows last year at Curtin University's Hayman Theatre - Dead Man's Cell Phone and The Pillowman - where she showcased a gift for comedy that serves her very well as the titular character here. With excellent projection and elocution Morgan handles the mannered dialogue with a devilish twinkle in the eye. Her facial expressions and affectations more than once reminded me of Annie Murphy of Schitt's Creek fame. Morgan is one to watch as her knack for physical comedy and deft timing are invaluable tools.

Millie Hillman proves an ideal foil to Morgan as her guileless and sweet portrayal of Harriet Smith is a delight. Hillman also demonstrates a light touch as she responds to the hapless girl's lack of success in whatever ploy Emma has contrived with resolute goodness. 

Then there's Ashlee McKenna as Jane Austen. James has chosen to thrust Austen front and centre in this adaptation which causes a certain imbalance. That's because McKenna is devastatingly charming in the role, looks amazing in perhaps the most prominent costume, and delivers her narration with panache. She pulls focus from the primary action of any scene by her mere presence; whether that be observing, directing the action, controlling the tempo, giving line reads for 'her' characters, or simply writing as they speak. Often she would walk into a spotlighted area to accentuate her presence, or interact with characters, and other times she would fade into darkness and watch from the wings. At all times I was conscious of where McKenna was which tended to distract from the focus of a scene. It's the case of a compelling performance overshadowing an interesting idea on the page.  

This also happened to a lesser extent with Callum Vinsen's Servant who was doing different forms of light shtick on the periphery of scenes. Perhaps more successful was the broad comedy provided by Robert McDonough's Mr Woodhouse whose concerns about the health effect of, amongst other things, draft was a running gag; or Maria Passalacqua whose double act with Taneal Thompson as Mrs and Miss Bates provided another running gag about the decrepitude of old age. 

Jack Riches amusingly gives his put upon Mr Elton a broad comic touch with plenty of pratfalls and a certain Blackadder-esque sneer at times. His antics only increase in the second half when the cyclone that is his newly betrothed, Mrs Elton, vibrantly played by Kellie White, wreaks havoc with a forthright demeanour even Emma, especially Emma, finds insufferable.

To the other gentlemen of interest, Garrison Cox is a little stiff as Mr Knightley which kind of works as the older family friend who professes to be Emma's sole critic. James Ford is a stout and pleasant presence as Frank Churchill, albeit one who conceals a secret that sabotages Emma's plans. 

Another Curtin alumna, Poppy Lindsell, is demure and bright as Jane Fairfax while Nathan R Bonham gives a good-natured portrayal as Mr Weston. The cast did work well together, no better typified than in the dance scenes which seemed like barely controlled chaos but were charming nonetheless because the performers were all smiles as they corrected various missteps. Some did seem to tire though in the latter stages as the demands of the dialogue and style of delivery took hold.

Not normally the sort of play I would gravitate to, this was stylishly presented with a trio of key performances that demonstrate the depth of young talent in the community theatre space.