Cast: 6m., 8w. , extras if desired. "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." Jane Austen never wrote those words, but she proves them conclusively in Emma, her comic masterpiece. In this lively and faithful adaptation she steps on stage herself to shepherd her delightful characters through the pitfalls and surprises that await them. Emma Woodhouse who is "handsome, clever, and rich" attempts to marry off her trusting young friend Harriet to all the wrong people, and she nearly misses out on true love herself. Set in remote Surrey, an English county "full of beauties," and peopled with unforgettable comic characters, Emma stands out as one of the great beauties of the English language. Area staging.