Mandy Foster (Photo by Benjamin Busch)
Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
Chance Theater
Through Dec. 22
RECOMMENDED
There is very little to vex or distress the audience in Chance Theater’s Emma: The Musical. Everything about it is enchanting and incredibly polished, including a gorgeous production design by Masako Tobaru and James Markoski. The performers are practiced and assured, fluidly moving through every song and dance. Perhaps that’s because this isn’t Chance Theater’s first rodeo with this Paul Gordon-penned musical, having produced it with Mandy Foster as the title character under Casey Long’s direction several years ago. This team knows their material well and it shows. Reprising the role, Mandy Foster is a natural Emma, winking and delighting in her great fortune until, of course, she sees the comic error of her scheming ways.
For those unfamiliar with the classic Jane Austen romance (perhaps you’ve seen Clueless, another excellent Emma adaptation), Emma is a rich, beautiful, and somewhat snobby young woman whose favorite hobby is matchmaking. At the beginning, she witnesses her beloved governess, Miss Taylor (Elisabeth Hunter), achieve an admirable marriage to the respectable Mr. Weston (Jonathon Lamer). She takes credit for the union, singing “I Made the Match Myself” to a skeptical George Knightley (Jeff Lowe), a close family friend whose brother is married to Emma’s sister. Soon enough, she feels emboldened to push her impressionable new friend, Harriet Smith (Sadie Alexander) toward the town vicar, Mr. Elton (Davide Costa). Harriet, however, is reluctant, having fallen for a handsome local farmer, Robert Martin (Luc Clopton), who appears to love her back. Hijinks, misunderstandings, and various unexpected pairings ensue as Emma slowly begins to recognize her foolishness and her own need for love.
Each performer seems born to his or her role. Sadie Alexander is a joy to watch and absolutely hilarious as she repeatedly sings about the incomparable “Mr. Robert Martin” and the “Humiliation” of being at a ball without a dance partner. As Jane Fairfax, the only woman that Emma ever envies for her beauty and talent, Sierra Jimenez is suitably luminous. Jeff Lowe is imperious and charming as George Knightley; his high point comes when he shows off both his sensitive side and his beautiful voice with a tender ballad, “Emma.” That song and its twin, “Epiphany,” sung by Mandy Foster when Emma finally sees the light, are the strongest of the show. Together, they make a touching ode to the marvel of friends turning into lovers. In this case, it is a marvel very much worth witnessing.
Chance Theatre @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim. Wed.-Thurs., 7:45 pm, Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sat.-Sun., 3 pm; thru Dec. 22. www.ChanceTheater.com . Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with an intermission.
