This week, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company opened their production of Emma by Kate Hamill which gives the well-known story a new life. The production will delight audience members with its wit and modern representations of the timeless classic. Full of slap stick comedy, a stellar soundtrack and hilarious direct address monologues CSC’s Emma can’t be missed!
The Story
Emma, adapted for the stage by Kate Hamill, follows the clever and confident, Emma Woodhouse (Ernaisja Curry), a young woman who prides herself on her matchmaking abilities. Living in the small English village of Highbury, Emma meddles in the romantic lives of her friends and neighbors, particularly the sweet but impressionable Harriet Smith (A. J. Baldwin). As Emma schemes to create perfect love matches, she ends up learning much more about the love in her own life. Through a series of misunderstandings, comedic disasters, and emotional revelations, Emma ultimately learns the true meaning of love. Hamill’s adaptation brings Austen’s classic story to life with fast-paced humor, modern wit, and an energetic theatrical style that makes the timeless story feel fresh and contemporary.
Leading Ladies
Leading this fabulous cast is the magnetic Ernaisja Curry as Emma Woodhouse. Curry gives a performance full of charisma and comic precision. Curry commands the stage from the moment she appears, effortlessly balancing Emma’s confidence, meddlesome charm, and emotional vulnerability. What takes her performance to the next level is her masterful interaction with the audience. Breaking the fourth wall can often feel gimmicky or distracting, but Curry navigates it with remarkable finesse. Curry uses Emma’s many direct address monologues to draw viewers into Emma’s thought process while remaining entirely truthful to the character and story. Her asides feel spontaneous and conspiratorial, making the audience complicit in Emma’s schemes while still allowing them to witness her gradual self-awareness (even if they may ultimately get blamed). Curry transforms Emma from a distant literary heroine into someone achingly human and hilariously relatable.
The comedic chemistry throughout the ensemble is impeccable. A. J. Baldwin shines as Harriet Smith, bringing sweetness, sass, and wonderfully expressive physical comedy to the role. Baldwin’s Harriet is earnest without becoming a naive portrait of a girl of her circumstances. Baldwin’s scenes with Curry are among the production’s funniest and most dear. Together, they create a friendship that feels both authentically Regency-era and strikingly modern.
The Eligible Bachelors
The eligible bachelors of Highbury that fall into Emma’s schemes bring new layers to the world carefully crafted by director Candice Handy. Brandon Burton impressively tackles the role of Frank Churchill, the charming and rich son of Mr. Weston, whose character is reminiscent of certain well-loved and over-the top performer of the 80s. Burton captures Frank’s flirtatious unpredictability with ease while bringing hilarity to the antics of Emma and other community members of Highbury. Montez Jenkins Copeland is wonderfully pompous as Mr. Elton, leaning into the character’s vanity and inflated ego with theatrical flair. His recitations are laugh out loud funny, especially as the production cleverly incorporates modern phrasing and physical comedy into Austen’s social rituals.
The “will they won’t they” chemistry between Curry as Emma and Samuel Stricklen as Mr. Knightley keeps audiences on their toes throughout the evening. Stricklen builds a larger than life character that provides the perfect compliment for Curry’s impulsive and charismatic Emma’s. Stricklen’s chemistry with Curry develops organically over the course of the evening through loving arguments and understanding that can only come from growing up together throughout those formidable childhood years. Stricklen plays Mr. Knightley’s frustrations to a tee making his eventual romantic realization feel deeply earned rather than predictable.
Creative Leadership
Director Candice Handy deserves enormous praise for orchestrating this ambitious modern blend so seamlessly. One of the production’s greatest achievements is how naturally it merges Austen’s Regency world with unmistakably modern elements. Handy (and Hamill’s script) employ contemporary phrases, pop culture-inflected humor, and a modern soundtrack as tools that illuminate the universality of Austen’s observations. The audience is reminded that the insecurity, confusion, and ambition in matchmaking remain as relevant today as they were two centuries ago. This version of Emma pulses with energy, wit, and a delightful modern sensibility. Handy and her extraordinary cast illuminate just how timeless Austen’s observations about class, love, vanity, and self-discovery truly are.
The Bridgerton-esque aesthetic created by scenic designer, Gabby Trice, are as sweet and delightful as Emma’s biscuits. Filled with pinks and florals, Trice creates a dreamy, heightened world that feels both romantic and contemporary. The stage design immerses audiences in a candy-colored social playground perfectly suited to Hamill’s adaptation.
Another standout achievement is the choreography by Susan Jung. Jung brilliantly combines traditional Regency dance with viral modern dance movements, creating sequences that are hilarious, visually inventive, and surprisingly cohesive. The fusion of period formality and modern dance culture perfectly encapsulates the production’s larger artistic vision.
What ultimately makes this production so successful is its accessibility. This production does not treat Austen as untouchable literary homework. Instead, it invites audiences into the story with humor and theatrical creativity. Longtime Austen fans and newcomers will find themselves completely swept up in the comedy and romance.
Overall
This is exactly the kind of theatre that reminds audiences why classics endure. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has created a production that feels vibrant, inclusive, and joyfully alive. Whether you are a devoted Jane Austen admirer or someone encountering Emma for the first time, this production offers something irresistible. Emma by Kate Hamill is a beloved classic reimagined in a way that authentically connects with modern audiences of every background. This witty and delightful retelling is a must see for all!
Tickets to Emma
Emma runs through June 14, 2026 at the Otto M. Budig Theater 1195 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, online at Emma | Cincy Shakes, or by calling 513-381-2273.
