THE original romantic comedy from the pen of Jane Austen is set to delight audiences when it opens tomorrow night at Malvern’s Festival Theatre.

Romance, scheming and mistaken intentions, Austen’s work has been brought to life in many on-screen adaptations, and now finds a new incarnation in this sparkling new stage adaptation by acclaimed writer Tim Luscombe, the man behind Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and Persuasion.

Directed by Colin Blumenau, Luscombe’s faithful adaptation of this comic masterpiece has now embarked on its first national tour this Summer, during what is the 200 year anniversary of Austen’s death.

Young, bright and beautiful, Emma Woodhouse has the world at her feet, or at least the small part of Surrey in which she lives.

When the dashing Mr Elton comes to town she decides to take it on herself to perform the role of matchmaker to her new friend Harriet Smith. But to Emma’s great surprise, the more she tries to manipulate the destinies of others, the less success she has, until she herself, determined never to wed, is forced to face her own feelings and perhaps even dare to love another… 

Keeping faithfully to the original, Luscombe relates Austen’s story with verve and style, transporting her famous characters vividly to the stage, including the dashing Mr Knightley, the comic hypochondriac Mr Woodhouse and the sublimely verbose Miss Bates!

The tour stars Bethan Nash as Emma whose credits include Swallows and Amazons and London Road at the Bristol Old Vic, Phillip Edgerley as Mr Knightley whose extensive stage appearances include a season in Sir Michael Boyd’s Long Ensemble company for the RSC and most recently seen in ITV’s Endeavour.

There’s also Nicholas Tizzard as Mr Woodhouse and Mr Elton whose stage credits include Cabaret (Savoy Theatre), War Horse & Coram Boy (National Theatre), George Kemp as Frank Churchill who joins the company directly from his West End run in Ian Hislop’s The Wipers Times, Kate Copeland as Miss Bates whose stage credits include The First Man (Jermyn Street Theatre) and many productions at Mercury Theatre, Colchester and Hannah Genesius as Mrs Elton who most recently appeared in A Christmas Carol (London Barbican) and The Great Divide (Finborough Theatre).

Luscombe has been described as the theatre world’s ‘Austen champion’ with his previous partnership with Colin Blumenau on Mansfield Park being critiqued as ‘Riveting adaptation… utterly absorbing… created with much love, affection and, above all, intelligence’.


Emma is at Malvern through to Saturday, July 1.