Denver Center for the Performing Arts hosts modern take on "Emma," a must-see for romantic comedy fans
A brand-new production is set to hit the stage at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
On a recent morning in Denver, the cast laughed and embraced while rehearsing their lines and dance moves. In a matter of days, they're thrilled to share their adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, "Emma," with their first audience.
"It's really a gift of a show," said Amelia Pedlow, who stars as Emma Woodhouse.
"It's based on a young woman who wants to play matchmaker with all of her friends," she said between laughter, "in their very small town. Things go awry very quickly; she also ends up missing the obvious love in her life that's been there the whole time because she's been worrying about other people. And it becomes this romantic comedy very quickly. It's delightful. It's very sweet."
If this storyline sounds familiar, it's because you may have seen it before. In the 1990s, rom-com enthusiasts saw a similar plot play out in movie theaters.
"If people have seen the movie 'Clueless,' it's very much based on that. The character names are very similar across the board. So, if people like 'Clueless,' they already know the story better than they think they do."
Pedlow says it's the perfect blend of old and new.
"Our playwright, Kate Hamill, adapted 'Sense and Sensibility' to the stage years ago, and it was such a mega hit in New York; it ran for years and years, and that's when she started to adapt each of the Austen novels. We use Lizzo music, but we use Jane Austen dialogue. Our costumes, they break boundaries. Even though they've got the empire waist, they're bright pink, and they have bows in the back, so it's really a mashup of the setting of the original novel with contemporary music and dance. The costumes have a contemporary flair."
"Emma" is also a modern celebration of female empowerment, elevating the world of Austen.
"Just to have so many female voices on a stage is something of a radical act. And I get to be on stage the whole time, check in with the audience directly, break that fourth wall, then jump into the scenes that I'm in, and I never leave the stage. So it's really gratifying for me because there aren't a lot of roles like that for women."
Tickets are on sale now for preview performances, which begin on April 5. Visit the DCPA website for more information.
