Emma at the Rose Theatre: Jane Austen will be laughing in her grave

The saving grace, then, is Pickett’s instinctive knack for finding humour in even the most drab conversations. Her script is littered with golden nuggets of comedy; one of the biggest laughs comes from Mr Woodhouse’s decision to nab some funeral flowers reading “love you” for his daughter’s wedding. But it is Emma’s best friend Harriet, geniusly played by Sofia Oxenham, who is the champion of delivering her one-liners with delicious, deadpan wit. Presented as an anxious ball of energy, constantly wringing her hands and shaking in her own skin, we root for her happy ending, even as Emma steers her far away from it.