When I was getting my bachelors degree in English Lit I fell in love with 19th Century British Literature. The Brontë sisters, Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, Lewis Carroll, and (most of all) Jane Austen. Austen's heroines are timeless to me. They embody intelligence, strength, poise and whit. I would sit on the patio of the beach house I rented with my friends, completely absorbed in Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. The summer before my last year at university I decided to study in London. I remember one day before my afternoon class, I took a bus into the countryside to Winchester Cathedral to see Jane Austen's grave and on to Chawton to see the home she lived out the last years of her life. I missed the bus going back, but seeing these historical landmarks of an author I cherished fueled my desire to become a writer myself.
The more time I spent in London the more I fell in love with the theatre. It was so affordable for a student to see a show that I found myself going at least once a week to see a performance. Musical, drama, comedy ... it didn't matter. There was a day I was shopping and discovered a small theatre that had a show starting in 15 minutes. I purchased a student ticket and sat down to enjoy Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. By the end of my summer abroad I changed my focus from 19th Century British Literature to theatre.
After I graduated I moved to San Francisco to work in a theatre as an intern production manager and assistant director. For 3 years I worked crazy hours for almost no pay, but I was doing what I loved ... I just wasn't very good at it! Eventually the need for a stable income forced me to join my friends in the corporate world.
I still love reading and going to the theatre whenever I can, but being a full time working, single mom has made it hard for me to sink my nose into a novel or go to the theatre to see a show (which is quite pricey when you aren't either a student or a senior). So, I resort to movies and most of Jane Austen's books have been made into some really good movies! One of my favorites is Emma. Some of you might have seen Gwyneth Paltrow portray Emma, who is one of my favorite Austen heroines. The production of this movie was set during the time the novel was written for. Paltrow got a lot of attention regarding her accurate British accent in this movie. She completely embodied the character.
Most of you have probably seen the movie Clueless, but you probably didn't know that it was based on Emma. The classic production took the British story into modern day Southern California Valley setting. Emma became a "total Betty" who loved to frequent malls and couldn't drive a jeep. As you can imagine the Valley Girl in me totally loves this movie!
A couple of weeks ago Stacey from San Diego Bargain Mama posted an offer of 50% off your ticket and no handling fee to see Emma, A Muscial Romantic Comedy at The Old Globe. You can bet I was intrigued! I have never imagined any Jane Austen novel on stage let alone as a musical.
How could I pass up this fantastic deal? I spoke with Stacey about putting together an sdIRL event. So for the opening night, January 15th, we want to get a bunch of us together for some drinks before enjoying the show. The tickets are selling out quickly for this performance, so get your tickets now! I hope you can join us!
