CRESTVIEW — What's an early 19th-century English novelist got to do with Shania Twain, Whitney Houston, Katy Perry and Cyndi Lauper?
Surprisingly, quite a bit, and if you got over to Crestview High School's Pearl Tyner Auditorium last weekend, you saw why.
A lively, enthusiastic cast took Jane Austen's 1815 classic "Emma," and bounced it into 21st-century relevance in Eric Price's "Emma: A Pop Musical."
Set in snooty Highbury Prep, which, to borrow Gloria Upson's quote in "Auntie Mame," is "top drawer," the show is all about the school's busy matchmaker, Emma Woodhouse, played to sparkling perfection by sophomore Riley Williames.
Part "Hello Dolly" and "High School Musical" with a bit of "Bye Bye Birdie" sprinkled in, Crestview High's 35-member cast kept its audiences' feet tapping in rhythm to a succession of 18 pop standards from the 1960s' Dixie Cups to today's hit rock stars.
STANDOUTS
Besides Riley and her awesome set of pipes, several other standouts delighted audiences.
Newcomer Kyle Jagielski, in his only CHS production — he graduates next month, alas for those of us who’d enjoy seeing more of him — nailed his Jeff Knightly.
The pompous straight-A kid takes over for a teacher whom Emma set up, got married and departed on a lengthy honeymoon, leaving his class teacherless.
"Call me Mr. Knightly," he demands of his classmates.
"Ha!" Emma snorts. "That sounds like a character from a Jane Austen novel."
Kyle's peer-pressured introduction to the sometimes surreal world of the stage thrust him into unfamiliar territory.
"It was a little weird," he said. "Everybody else was singing musical songs and I didn't know what was going on. But it became like a big family."
BLACK’LL BE BACK
While we lament we won't see Kyle in more local shows, we're lucky that Douglas Black, a refreshing young actor whom we've followed since childhood, is a junior and promises to return to the Pearl Tyner stage next year.
His performance as pop singer Frankie Churchill wowed the audience with moves and hair — but, thankfully, not the tats nor penchant for undressing in public — of the Venerable Bieb.
"It was really, really fun," Doug said. "I made sure when I auditioned I really connected with the character."
Emma's matchees, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax — daughter of those Fairfaxes. You know, the vending machine magnates — are played by Jordan Richardson and Michaela Pawlak respectively, and follow CHS Theatre's recent trend for near-perfect casting. Both have great voices and great senses of comedic timing.
Zach Sticha, another graduating senior whom we’ll miss, in his eighth CHS production, likeably plays Martin, a public school townie who buses tables at Highbury’s cafeteria. How un-top-drawer can you get?
Martin attracts Harriet’s eye and heart when he invites her to watch his bowling team, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gutter, play a few frames.
DISTRACTIONS
There were a couple distractions that marred the otherwise enjoyable opening performance, notably some sound-drop issues and a couple awkward set change blackouts that seemed to last longer than I'm sure they really were. Maybe some music could’ve filled the void.
Both problems could have benefited from some extra rehearsals, but access to the auditorium can be an issue this time of year, leaving the drama department at the mercy of limited hall availability.
There’s only so much you can practice in the classroom without access to the actual performance space, set and technical equipment.
But as Emma told Jeff, "The only people who give up are giver-uppers," and there were no giver-uppers in this enjoyable production of "Emma: A Pop Musical," which, as Kyle observed after opening night, "was so much fun."
It was for those of us out in the dark, too.
What: "Emma: A Pop Musical"
When: 7 p.m. May 7; 3 p.m. May 8
Where: Crestview High School Pearl Tyner Auditorium
Cost: $10 per person
WANT TO GO?
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: 'Hello Dolly' meets Jane Austen on Crestview High Stage