In Mansfield Park, did Edmund have a better option than joining the play as Anhalt?

It is clear that both performing the play and the choice of the play (Lover's Vows) were inappropriate, due to which Edmund was initially against it. He later joined to play Anhalt for three motives: 1. To stop the rest from adding another gentleman to play Anhalt, which would have made the play affair much more public and improper. 2. To regain influence with the rest to try and curb the evils of the play, as he viewed that he had lost influence with them as he had offended them in his opposition to the play. 3. To stop Mary Crawford from having to act Amelia (a character who is flirtatious with Anhalt) with a stranger as Anhalt (and also possibly to play such a part with her himself as he likes her).

Fanny is against this, I've seen him get a lot of flack online for joining the play, and he himself seems to regret joining he did later on.

Did he have a better option?