The theatre, like every other artform, is in need of a Sally Rooney to capture the youth vote. And in the absence of one, it looks like Jane Austen will have to do. The Abbey Theatre is advertising its new production of Emma by Jane Austen as being a “spectacularly bold reimagining for the ‘brat’ Bridgerton era”.
Is this an admirable attempt to make theatre relevant to Gen Z or does it smack of desperation? There has been a lot of roughage in the Abbey diet of late with ambitious versions of Maxim Gorky’s Children of the Sun and Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts . Perhaps we could do with a bit of froth? Jane Austen is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Also, the young director (Claire O’Reilly) and designer (Molly O’Cathain) attached to the project have track records for cutting-edge work, like last year’s memorable Hothouse for Malaprop Theatre.
Maybe it’s good to give these innovative artists something to chew on that has a pre-sale popular factor?.