Emma

The score is pleasing and appropriate, with melodic lines and instrumentations that fit the time and place, and the book's events have been condensed judiciously while remaining faithful to the story. Yes, a lot of skill and intelligence have gone into this musicalization of Jane Austen's classic novel. What hasn't gone into this production is trust in the material: too often Austen's observational humor has been turned into buffoonery, with a couple of the supporting actors encouraged to ham it up shamelessly. The audience for a Jane Austen musical is not the sort that takes kindly to being underestimated.