Theatre Review: Jane Eyre (Bristol Old Vic & National Theatre)
A 3 hour and 15 minute play which is solely devised by a company of ten performers, Jane Eyre, a theatrical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel by Bristol Old Vic and National Theatre, is by far the best and deepest reading of the piece.
Feel the Weight of the Words
I note that it’s a reading of the piece because I sense that the purpose of this adaptation is not to dramatise the story but to reflect what the humanistic representations in the story are through theatrical elements.
The adaptation is basically verbatim and retains the structure of the book. It has nearly every element that is printed on page by Brontë. To be honest, if one has no knowledge of the text, one will get the feeling that the adaptation is flawed, because for a play, it does not seem concise enough.
However, as I experienced the piece, witnessing familiar scenes from the book, I gradually realised the depth and weight of Brontë’s writing due to the presentation of the piece.
Devise: A Device
Directed by Sally Cookson and, as mentioned before, devised by the whole company, the vision for Jane Eyre was to use an anti-realism approach, to have a minimalistic set, and a live band on stage. Except Madelene Worrall, who plays Jane Eyre, all the other cast members have multiple roles.
With the band and the multiple roles per actor, the alienation effect is obvious. But, apart from the Brecht formula, Cookson seamlessly edits the parts of the story on stage as if a film is created with lighting, sound effects, and songs, assisted by the company with occasional physical movements.
Because of that, even the part of Rochester seems to be only a part of Jane Eyre’s journey. The relationship between Jane and Rochester is not the main focus of the play. Instead, Jane becomes the pivotal subject of the whole story to study, and her alone.
A Study on Jane
With this as the base theme of the adaptation, what the audience experience suddenly has a point of view. If the piece is about studying Jane as a character, and from there to study the themes in the novel, then all the elements on stage have fallen into place.
What Jane wants is equality and freedom, not just physically but also psychologically. She believes that she is the only person who rules her life, and she believes it throughout her whole life. Jane has experienced Helen’s death during her school years, her twisted relationship with Rochester, and her forced proposal with St John.
Turns out, Jane is defeated again and again by the social conventions on how a woman should behave — or the truth on how men perceive women. However, she never betrays her belief. As an English woman, she wants to be as free as Adele — who is French -, yet she can’t help but fall in love with Rochester, who is going to marry another woman.
It’s this kind of struggle that Cookson’s production wants to portrait, and the result is beyond satisfaction. The acting ensemble echoes Jane’s internal voice in a Greek-chorus fashion. Adele and Pilot, Rochester’s dog, both represent the free selves of Jane and Rochester and are constantly paired up with them respectively.
The songs mostly performed by Melanie Marshall, who turns out to be the representation of Bertha Mason, act as commentary on Jane’s situation. Even the songs are composed with subtle layers. It is interesting that some songs in Act 2 are soulful and even have a Jamaican vibe, while the English folk style is still intact.
These theatrical elements, or dare I say, symbols reflect back to Jane’s nature deeply and thoroughly, while the production is still visually and audibly spectacular.
A Solid Portrayal
However, this can’t be achieved without the basic element of the piece: actors. The acting chops of the company are solid and faithful to the novel. The acting is meaty and emotional enough to sustain such a representation of the piece. Kudos to Madeleine Worrall and Felix Hayes, who play Jane and Rochester in the characters’ finest condition.
In my memory, never have I seen any Jane Eyre who is so fierce and direct, while Rochester is delivered as a beast who is rude and vulgar. It is very important to get these two characters right and novel in order to achieve any kind of symbolisation on stage. This particular production is a very good example of how to do it right.
Production Credit:
Jane Eyre, devised by the Company based on the book by Charlotte Brontë A Bristol Old Vic & National Theatre (UK) Production Designed by Michael Vale Music by Benji Bower Directed by Sally Cookson A Hong Kong Arts Festival Programme, 2016 Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
Note: This review was written on 18th February 2016.
