What’s a too-clever and entirely bored upper-class lady, forbidden from having a true profession, to do with her time?

Meddle, of course.

The Peterborough Players’ final show of the season, “Emma,” an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel by Kate Hamill and directed by Peterborough Players Artistic Director Brendan Fox, follows the novel’s plot broadly, though it leans a bit more on slapstick and fourth-wall breaking for its humor.

Emma, played with aplomb by Deborah Aboaba, is rich, well-educated, and thinks that she knows best.

Those familiar with the novel will find the plot mostly intact. Fresh off the high of matching her beloved former governess, Anne (played by Mari Vial Golden), with the eligible widower Mr. Weston (Kevin Cristaldi, who doubles as Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse), Emma is determined to keep her matchmaking skills sharp. She sets her sights next on Ms. Harriet Smith, a friendly but provincial village girl, who Emma thinks surely can do better than her groundskeeper beau — after all, he has not even proposed after seven weeks!

The play is written as a bit of a madcap comedy, with Emma seeking to make pairs out of her friends and acquaintances, and having a flirtation for herself with the eligible but rumored-to-be flighty Frank Churchill. All the while, she is busy grappling with her long-time rivals, the perfectly poised Jane Fairfax and her childhood friend/nemesis George Knightly, with whom she verbally spars every time they cross paths, in a relationship that is surely not an enemies-to-lovers trope in waiting.

This is a play that knows it’s a play. Emma often breaks off into dramatic monologues, sometimes addressing the audience — even the director — directly, calling out classic tropes, and is often asked by other characters exactly who she’s talking to. It adds a lot of humor to an already humorous play.

Hamill, while sticking to the main plot points of the original tale, does add in some additional feminist messaging. Emma’s main source of frustration seems to come from her lack of choice due to her status as a woman in the early 19th century. In particular, the jobs available to women remain closed to Emma due to her economic status, as women of her standing wouldn’t be expected to work.

This messaging is somewhat heavy-handed, but does fit into Austen’s existing narrative, framed around Emma, who is well-educated but has nothing to do with her education. While not part of the original novel, it seems the kind of sharp social commentary that Austen might make.

“Emma” is a fun romp, leaning into the fact that the original tale is essentially made up of what would become modern rom-com tropes. Sarah Bishop plays a very funny, somewhat bumbling Harriet Smith, and Aboaba plays a very charming Emma, despite the mess the character’s meddling causes throughout the play.

It’s a classic story, with some modern slants. It keeps the core of Austen’s story for fans of the novel, while providing enough laughs to entertain those new to the tale.

“Emma” is a two-act play with a short intermission. It will be at the Peterborough Players through Aug. 23. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on weeknights and 4 p.m. on weekends. There will be a pre-show presentation at the Aug. 14 show, and a post-show talkback on Aug. 16.

On Aug. 22, there will be a British Cream Tea from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with fresh-baked scones, clotted cream, jam and tea at the Peterborough Players, outside if weather permits.

Tickets are $30 and are available through the Peterborough Players box office or online at peterboroughplayers.org.