Kentucky Shakespeare’s “Emma” capped a trifecta of plays based on Jane Austin works by playwright Kate Hamill with its performances that ran Jan. 9 to 18. Two critics from the Arts Angle Newsroom, a new Arts Angle Vantage program were there opening weekend and have these reviews.
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Kentucky Shakespeare’s “Emma” Rekindles the Spirit of Jane Austen
Vivian Schnuerle, Arts Angle Reporter
Louisville Collegiate School, Class of 2028
Empire waists and corkscrew curls were all the rage at Actor’s Theater of Louisville at the dawn of 2026. Jane Austen’s furious, feminist spirit lived on in Kentucky Shakespeare’s “Emma” from Jan 9 through 18. In the Pamela Brown Auditorium’s lobby, women from the Jane Austen North American Society arrived dressed in full regency garb as theatergoers buzzed with anticipation, waiting for the real treat onstage. With a script by the talented Kate Hamill, the modern adaptation of the novel “Emma” pulled the audience right into the Regency era, with a modern twist.
“Emma” is the story of a young, bright society woman, Emma (Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo), stuck in the confines of the Regency era. She’s educated and resourceful, but has nowhere to channel her intellect. So, she devotes her time to matchmaking, leading to a series of wacky misunderstandings and delightfully hilarious pairings. Amy Attaway’s direction spearheads the animated and wonderfully talented Patillo, who brings to life Austen’s spirit. Patillo’s physical comedy and over-the-top dramatic soliloquies are the heart of the production.
However, where “Emma” shone most was in the physicality and animation of the entire cast, brought to life by Amy Attaway’s direction. It seemed every direction was an intentional choice, from the double casting to the shadows onstage. Patillo’s talent stole the show, second only to the chemistry between her and Mr. Knightley (Crystian Wiltshire). Zachary Burrell’s appropriately repulsive depiction of Mr. Elton tied together the series of unfortunate events that led to the dazzling romance.
The sound design, a mix of modernity and tradition that resonated with the play’s soul, was spearheaded by Laura Ellis. Her design guided every emotional and comedic moment. The accuracy of the costume design, done by Donna Lawrence-Downs and wardrobe by Annie Mayer, hit the bull’s-eye in every way. The vibrancy of the costumes was entrancing, serving as a contrast to the white scenic design (Eric Allgeier), and they perfectly employed the direction Attaway used so beautifully.
In “Emma,” Austen challenges society through the heroine’s independence and gives the women in the novel a choice of happiness. Harriet Smith (Sasha Cifuentes) was the perfectly-portrayed picture of naivety. In contrast, Mrs. Weston (Mollie Murk) delivered a monologue comparable to America Ferrera’s in “Barbie” that critiques the double standards placed upon women, applicable both then and now. Austen fought for equal access to education and legal rights equal to men.
In Hamill’s theatrical version, she fights for equal access to healthcare and equal pay. At its core, feminism in Regency England and feminism in the modern world fight for the same ideas: a woman’s equality through her right to choose the course of her life, independent from a man’s control. It is not as though a character in “Emma” could realistically have worn pants, owned property, or had a bank account in their name, but, in the novel, Austen elevates the same theoretical, feminist ideas that we have too, through the star’s, Emma’s, independence and ability to challenge the norm. The choices and independence that her characters have to challenge the norms of high society represent feminism at its core: the ability for women to have the same choices and independence as men. Hamill beautifully centers these radical ideas in her adaptation. Today and throughout history, outspoken women have fought to dismantle the societal norms imposed on women by men.
This feminist legacy was evident with the Jane Austen North American Society’s presence in the lobby and their passing out of free copies of “Emma.” There also were other illustrations of devotion to Austin’s ideas and the Austen spirit, such as a nearby table selling handcrafted jewelry, including miniature “Emma” earrings and beautiful beaded bookmarks, by local vendor Isannah’s Creations. This production of “Emma” is just one example of Kentucky Shakespeare’s celebration of the classics, which the company so often beautifully revives and adapts while also embodying original authors’ principles.
Kentucky Shakespeare Excelled with Kate Hamill’s “Emma”
By Elizabeth Voss, Arts Angle Reporter
Louisville Collegiate School, Class of 2027
If you looked too fondly at the person seated next to you in Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Pamela Brown Auditorium during the recent production by Kentucky Shakespeare, the meddlesome Emma Woodhouse likely matchmade you before intermission. “Emma,” Kate Hamill’s brisk and witty adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, transported audiences to the English Regency period with a distinctly 21st-century sensibility. The production ran at Actors Theatre of Louisville from Jan 9 through 18.
As patrons took their seats and glanced at the stage, rose and violet hues washed over the geometric set, meticulously built by Kentucky Shakespeare and designed by Eric Allgerier. Its floating windows and crown molding resembled a disassembled home: an elegant abstraction of the carefully controlled world Emma inhabits. The lovely, intricate work of costume design by Donna Lawrence-Downs was prevalent in the Regency period puffy sleeves, floral detailing, and comically large bonnets, drawing patrons deeper into the setting.
Like Austin’s character in the novel, Emma, portrayed with confident charm by Brittany “BeeBee” Patillo, is wealthy, clever, and entirely convinced of her own perceptiveness. Having successfully orchestrated one marriage, she turns her attention to the romantic lives of those around her, particularly the wide-eyed Harriet Smith (Sasha Cifuentes), her own puppet in the circus of love. As Emma’s assumptions harden, misunderstandings multiply, propelled by exaggerated poetry of Mr. Elton (Zachary Burrell), gleeful asides to the audience, and actors that lean fully into Hamill’s comedy.
Director Amy Attaway’s scene transitions flowed seamlessly through choreography, monologue, and shifting projections, designed by Philip Allgeier. Specifically, projected scene synopses signaled changes in time, setting, or action, guiding the audience in following the narrative without interrupting the rhythm of the performance.
Shakespeare references, modern musical cues (like the instrumental of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”), and running jokes including Emma’s father’s obsession with gruel, lent a humor that never fully broke its period frame.
However, beneath the comedy laid a sharper edge. Moments of sincerity punctured it, particularly in the heighted moment where Emma breaks, expressing her anger of the confined nature of women’s choices in a patriarchal society and greater world. Director Attaway balanced these tonal shifts skillfully, allowing serious social commentary to emerge without stalling the momentum.
This “Emma” succeeded not by reverently preserving Austen’s prose, but by translating her insights into a language modern audiences readily understand: fast, funny, and knowingly theatrical. The result was a production with charm while quietly reminding us that even the most confident builders of romance may be blind to their own hearts.
True to Emma’s guiding refrain, Kentucky Shakespeare surged “forward, onward, upward” with this production, never looking back.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2026.