Besides Emmas 1-3 (and now, 4), there have been a number of "other" adaptations for screen, radio, and stage. With help from a number of site visitors, I've pieced together some information for many of them. As I get more facts, I'll add to this page.
As of late April, 2009, it's rumored that a sequel to Clueless is in the works, reuniting Alicia Silverstone and Amy Heckerling. Silverstone's representatives deny the rumors, while Heckerling's people say, "No comment."
There's a "Bollywood" Emma coming down the pipe, according to BollySpice.com: "Anil Kapoor has announced that he will be producing a version of Jane Austen's 'Emma' for [daughter Sonam] to star in..." Sonam Kapoor herself has publicly mentioned her desire to star in an Emma adaptation on at least one occasion. The Kapoors confirmed the film - titled "Ayesha" after its Emmalike heroine - in February, 2009, and began filming in fall of 2009. More details here.
Still in pre-pre-production is an "urban" version of the Emma story, slated for release in 2010 (we'll see it if it ever makes it). I'm beyond uninterested in it (judging from the production camp comments in the article, it sounds...well...rather Clueless), but the information is here for the purposes of completeness. Urban? Please. Cher Horowitz forever!
Feel free to jump to: Clueless, Recent Plays, Older Plays, Television Broadcasts, Radio Broadcasts, Audio Dramas, Resources
Clueless
- Film credits
- The official site
- The Script
- Sue Parrill's Metaphors of Control: Physicality in Emma and Clueless
- Emma and Clueless: Transforming Jane Austen
- Style Court discusses art, design, and decor in Clueless, asking if updated Regency style elements might have provided more metaphorical significance to the social elements of the adaptation.
- Classic film quotations from the Internet Movie Database.
- A review of the film's soundtrack from Cinema Sounds.
- As of late April, 2009, it's rumored that a sequel to Clueless is in the works, reuniting Alicia Silverstone and Amy Heckerling. Silverstone's representatives deny the rumors, while Heckerling's people say, "No comment."
- Reviews:
- Henry's Clueless page. It includes a list parallels with Emma , some reviews, and a paper comparing the two stories.
- Katy Kendall's review, coming soon.
- "Emma in L.A."
- Index
of reviews from the
Internet Movie Database.
Recent Plays:
- Book-It Reperatory Theatre in Seattle is presenting a version of Emma from October 22-November 22, 2009. Information here and here. Also, a review from the Seattle Times here.
- Heartbreak Productions is presenting a version of Emma in Spring and Summer, 2009. It's a UK tour. More here...
- Joel Adlen's Emma the Musical in New York, Fall, 2007:
"Created by Joel Adlen, Emma, A New Musical began its journey at workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. In February 2005, Emma was highlighted as part of the Kentwood Players New Works festival in Los Angeles, which lead to a well-received run at the Lincoln Stegman Theater in North Hollywood. In February 2007, Joel Adlen collaborated with Len Moors and David Hegarty to create new piano and vocal arrangements. This were presented as a concert performance in San Francisco.
Coming in October 2007, Emma will be presented as part of the New York Musical Theater Festival.
Emma… is the winner of the 2005 Best Musical / Best Production Award, by the Elate Theater Ensemble in Los Angeles."
- More on the show from the New York Musical Theatre Festival
- 2005 Elate Production of the show
- Another musical version of Emma, by Paul Gordon, played in the San Francisco Bay Area in late summer, 2007.
- In December, 2001, Stephen
Karam's modern musical version of the story hit Providence,
RI. Here's the notice he sent us:
Thought you and other Jane Austen fans might like to know that my musical is now playing to packed houses in Providence, RI, and has just been signed to tour other cities. There are performances in RI until Dec. 10th, 2001.
EMMA: a modernized, musicalized interpretation of Jane Austen's comic masterpiece. At times hilarious and touching, ironic and sincere, this original musical comedy of misunderstandings and misplaced emotions reveals the destructive possibilities of hidden desires and foolish pride.
It is NOT Clueless the musical. At ALL. Here's a review from the Providence paper.
Here too is a link to the producer's website...although it isn't very well put together. It was used primarily for auditioners. The show will most likely tour U.S. cities sometime soon. Thanks, and I love your website! Hope you can catch a performance!
- There's a theatre dramatization
of Emma by Michael Fry, which first debuted in London
in 1991. The most recent U.S. production has been by the University
of Maryland. Information on the productions plus reviews by Daniela G. and Kathleen Elder are here.
Older Plays, in Chronological Order:
- Bodeen, DeWitt, (adapter). Romances by Emma, A Comedy of Humours and Manners in Three Acts. New York: Dramatists' Play Service, 1938.
- MacKaye, Marion (Morse) Mrs. [1872-1939]. Emma, a play by Marion Morse MacKaye (Mrs. Percy MacKaye) founded on Jane Austen's novel. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941.
- Lindsay, John, and Ronald Russell (adapters). Emma, A Play in Three Acts. London: French, 1943.
- Glennon, Gordon, (adapter). Emma - A Play. London: Macmillan, 1945.
- Kulik, Maggie, (adapter). The Nonpareil, A Play in Two Acts: Adapted from Jane Austen's Novel Emma. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 1991.
Live Television Productions
- 1948 - BBC live television broadcast
May 23, 1948
Dramatized by Judy Campbell
Produced/directed by Michael Barry
Emma - Judy Campbell
Mr. Knightley - Ralph Michael
Miss Bates - Gillian Lind
Mr. Elton - Richard Hurndall
Mr. Woodhouse - Oliver Burt
Mrs. Elton - Marian Spencer
Frank Churchill - MacDonald Hobley
Harriet Smith - Daphne Slater
Jane Fairfax - Joyce Heron
- 1954 - NBC live television broadcast in one part
November 24, 1954
Kraft Theatre (Series)
Dramatized by Martine Bartlett and Peter Donat
Emma - Felicia Montealegre
Mr. Knightley - Peter Cookson
Mr. Elton - Roddy McDowall
Mrs. Elton - Martine Bartlett
Mr. Woodhouse - Stafford Dickens
Harriet Smith - Sarah Marshall
Mrs. Weston - Nydia Westman
Mr. Weston - Robinson Stone
Mrs. Goddard - Nancie Hobbs
William Larkins - Peter Donat
Searle - McLean Savage
- 1957 - NBC television broadcast
September 16, 1957 - Season 2, Episode 266
Matinee Theatre (Series)
Teleplay by Helene Hanff
Directed by Alan Cooke
Emma - Sarah Churchill
Also featuring Tom Helmore
- 1960 - BBC live television broadcast in six parts
February 26-April 1, 1960
Dramatized by Vincent Tilsley (or Tilsey)
Produced/directed by Campbell Logan
Film Editing by Ken Bilton
Production Design by Stephen Bundy
Costume Design by Elizabeth Agombar
Makeup Supervisor - Cherry Alston
Camera Operator - Hugh Wilson
Emma - Diana Fairfax
Mr. Knightley - Paul Daneman
Miss Bates - Gillian Lind
Mr. Elton - Raymond Young
Harriet Smith - Perlita Neilson
Mr. Woodhouse - Leslie French
Jane Fairfax - Petra Davies
Mrs. Bates - May Hallat
Frank Churchill - David McCallum
Mrs. Weston - Thea Holme
Mr. Martin - David Cole
Mrs. Elton - Georgina Hale
Philip Ray - Mr. Weston
From Averill Craig: I've just across your list of Emma productions and may be able to help a little with some of the cast of the 1960 BBC production, which I remember seeing when I was 15 (I was of course in love with Paul Daneman). I think it must have been shot more or less live too, or at least without much retaking, because I can clearly picture Emma's hat gradually falling off during the proposal scene.
My memory for trivia, once excellent, seems to be deserting me as I can't remember all the cast, but the actor who played Mr. Woodhouse was definitely Leslie French (he was excellent too). Mrs. Elton was played by Georgina Hale a bit old perhaps, but very good. Frank Churchill was an early part for David McCullum (McCallum ? spelling), who was later much more famous for playing in "The Man from Uncle". Harriet Smith was Petronella somebody - it may come to me. I can picture Jane Fairfax, but the name escapes me - sorry about that.
By the way the BBC did a production of Persuasion a couple of years later also starring Paul Daneman, this time as Captain Wentworth (swoon), and Daphne Slater played Anne.
- 1960 - CBS television broadcast
August 26, 1960
Camera Three (Series)
Adapted by Clair Roskam, (adapter) and
Directed by John Desmond
Stars Nancy Wickwire as Emma Woodhouse
Radio Versions
- 1944 - NBC Radio Broadcast
University of the Air
November 18, 1944
Directed by Frank and Virginia Wells
- 1948 - 12 parts. BBC Home Service. 4 April-20 June, 1948
Dramatized by H. Oldfield Box
Produced by Wilfred Grantham
Emma - Rachel Gurney
Mr. Knightley - Cecil Winter
Miss Bates - Betty Hardy
Mr. Elton - Basil Jones
- 1951 - 15 parts. BBC Light Program. 9 April-27 April, 1951
Abridged by Ursula Wood
Read by Julia Lang
- 1970 - 13 parts. BBC Radio 4. 4 January-29 March, 1970
Dramatized by John Tydeman
Produced by John Tydeman
Jane Austen - Rachel Gurney
Emma - Suzanne Neve
Mr. Knightley - Simon Lack
Miss Bates - Betty Hardy
Mr. Elton - David Brierley
- 2000 - Two Parts? BBC Radio. November-December,
2000. With David Bamber of P&P2 fame as Mr. Elton and Tom Hollander as Frank Churchill. This version and the version below might be one in the same.
- 2000/2001 - 2 parts. BBC Radio 4. Unknown airdate. This version and the version above might be one in the same.
Dramatized by April DeAngelis
Directed by Jonquil Panting
Starring Eve Best, Norman Rodway, Robert Bathurst (as Mr. Weston; he reprises the role in Emma 4), Marcia Warren, and Patience Tomlinson
Audio Dramas
- 1982 (rereleased 1989?) - Running Time 5 hours,
15 minutes. BBC Audio Drama.
Dramatized by John Tydeman
Directed by Brian Miller
Jane Austen - Jean Trend
Emma Woodhouse - Angharad Rees
Mr. Knightley - Alan Moore
Mr. Woodhouse - Peter Tuddenham
Miss Bates - Constance Chapman (She was in Emma 1 too!)
Frank Churchill - Graham Callan
Jane Fairfax - Deborah Paige
Harriet Smith - Juliet Waley
Mrs. Weston - Ingrid Hafner
Mr. Weston - Edward Cast
John Knightley - Tim Meats
Isabella - Margo Cunn
Mr. Elton - Michael Drew
Mrs. Elton - Maev Alexander
Mrs. Cole - Elizabeth Havelock
Christopher Northam (piano)
A note from Simon Dunmore: I chanced upon this site and discovered an inaccuracy. You have the 'BBC Audio Drama' - Dramatized by John Tydeman; Directed by Brian Miller - dated 1989. In fact, it was recorded in late 1982. I know, because my wife played Mrs. Elton and our (then baby) daughter provided 'wild-tracks.'
For more information on the older Austen adaptations, see:
- Andrew Wright, "Jane Austen Adapted," Nineteenth Century Fiction (vol. 30, #3, December 1975, pp.421-453).
- EESE Jane Austen Resources