Emma at Lantern Theater Company
I'm just home from the staging of Jane Austen's Emma mentioned previously. I am happy to report that it was thoroughly delightful. The adaption was very true to the book, with the few minor changes necessary to accomidate the staging being not at all jarring. The actress playing Emma, Lauren Sowa, was quite brilliant, and the supporting cast performed admirably as well. Several actors played multiple secondary roles, which lead to some amusing justipositions: Mrs. Weston & Miss Bates, Frank Churchill & Robert Martin, Emma's father & Miss Bates' mother, and perhaps most hilarious and ironic of all, Harriet & Mrs. Elton.
The set design and dressing was simple, but pleasantly elegant. And the costumes...weeeeellll...I'll be generous and say the costumes were satisfactory, as far as may be expected from a local theater with a tiny budget. They were a sort of mish-mash of periods; I couldn't tell if they were going for full-on Regency or late Georgian, or possibly even somewhere in the range of that odd transitional 1820s not-quite-Regency-or-Romantic style. Thankfully the performers were engaging enough that the weird cut of some of the dresses wasn't too distracting. At any rate, they were pretty, and I'm sure anyone who was less of a knit-picker about historical dress than I am would not find them objectionable in the least.
Oh, and the dancing! The dancing was quite good.
Overall I had a lovely evening, and I am pleased I had the opportunity to see this play (lucky for me the run was extended another week). It was indeed a wonderful way to start my vacation, and I can only hope the rest of the week goes half as well!
And now? Now I am so, so ready for sleep...
The set design and dressing was simple, but pleasantly elegant. And the costumes...weeeeellll...I'll be generous and say the costumes were satisfactory, as far as may be expected from a local theater with a tiny budget. They were a sort of mish-mash of periods; I couldn't tell if they were going for full-on Regency or late Georgian, or possibly even somewhere in the range of that odd transitional 1820s not-quite-Regency-or-Romantic style. Thankfully the performers were engaging enough that the weird cut of some of the dresses wasn't too distracting. At any rate, they were pretty, and I'm sure anyone who was less of a knit-picker about historical dress than I am would not find them objectionable in the least.
Oh, and the dancing! The dancing was quite good.
Overall I had a lovely evening, and I am pleased I had the opportunity to see this play (lucky for me the run was extended another week). It was indeed a wonderful way to start my vacation, and I can only hope the rest of the week goes half as well!
And now? Now I am so, so ready for sleep...