Emma musical opens at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
Alert Janeite Lisa sent an article in which Paul Gordon, playwright of the musical adaptation of Emma that opens tomorrow at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park, discusses how his affection for Emma, both the novel and the heroine, developed.
The lightness of “Emma,” Gordon adds, was an antidote after the darkness of the Brontë tale. After watching Paltrow romp through the comedy, Gordon watched it again and knew “it’s perfect for a musical.”
“She’s wonderfully flawed, the audience is ahead of her all the way. She does become somewhat self-aware and recognizes her own failings, and that just makes her more loveable.”
The show opens on September 2 and runs through October 3. Tickets are available online. We’d love a report from an AustenBlog reader who attends.
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I’m neither a theater critic nor an AustenBlog reader but I did attend the opening of Emma on Thursday (9/4/08) evening. My wife and I attend at least 10 performances each year including Broadway in Cincinnati and Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park. We both thoroughly enjoyed this show and the music. Neither of us are “fans” of Jane Austen (no author/writer, for that matter) but this show has piqued our interest. Highly recommended and standing O’s for Lianne Marie Dobbs (Emma) and Suzanne Grodner (Miss Bates)! I would LOVE to own an original cast recording of this show; hope one is made available soon!