The Watsons

In 1803 the English writer Jane Austen abandoned the novel she was writing at the time, The Watsons. Nobody knows why. But authors have been trying to finish it off for her for the past two hundred years. This is the latest and greatest adaptation of Austen's unfinished novel, which has been given the brilliant Laura Wade treatment and has fast become a surprise of a critically acclaimed period play. The Watsons has already enjoyed a sell-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the Chichester Festival and the Minerva Theatre, and it transfers to the West End's glittering Harold Pinter theatre in May 2020. Best of all, this hilarious adaptation has generated loads of superb reviews.

The story? We don't want to spoil things for you, but we can say that this play delivers plenty of the unexpected. And it's very funny. AsThe Times says, 'Jane Austen has never been quite as much fun'. Meet Emma Watson, fresh in town and looking for a husband. Her wealthy aunt has cut Emma off without a penny, and now she's desperate. In the 1800s a 'gentlewoman' woman on her own was in big trouble, with no way to make money. The only solution was to marry well or end up more or less an unpaid servant, left languishing at home. Emma is pretty and popular, and attracts plenty of suitors. But how does she choose between the cool social success Tom Musgrave and the wealthy but socially shy Lord Osborne? Come along and see.