JANE EYRE (Blackeyed Theatre)*****

By Louise

Link: https://blackeyedtheatre.co.uk/shows-2/on-demand/jane-eyre-on-demand £10

Available until: Access expires 3 days after you start viewing the content, or on 3^rd March 2021.

Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I loved the National Theatre production, which was streamed on youtube at the start of lockdown, so I was very excited to find out there was another production, especially as it was Blackeyed Theatre, who adapted The Strange Tale of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde so brilliantly for the stage.

There were two things the productions had in common which I wasn’t necessarily expecting. Firstly. they had a smallish cast with actors taking on several roles. I think this is a good idea as so many characters never meet and Jane lives in four very different worlds with different sets of people – Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield and Moor House. If you were putting on a play for a large theatre company, they could take on a role each, but as a lot of the roles are quite small, it is nice for actors to challenge themselves with some very different roles.

Secondly, both productions used a lot of music. There are references to music in Jane Eyre, but it doesn’t seem as important as it does in Jane Austen’s novels, for example, when a lot of the female characters’ worth is measured by whether they play and sing, and how well. But the addition of music to this story works really well. George Jennings’ music is performed by the actors and it serves lots of purposes. It can show that time is passing, it gives a sense of community in a household (if there is any), it can help create the atmosphere which Charlotte Brontë creates beautifully in the text, but which is more difficult to show onstage. But perhaps most of all, it is really lovely to listen to. The actors all play and sing beautifully and to a high standard.

The two productions obviously had the same plot, but they had different approaches. The Blackeyed Theatre production, which was adapted by Nick Lane, had some sections which were a bit like a diary, with Jane narrating sections of the story. This worked really well as it meant they didn’t have to stage anything which was particularly difficult, such as the fires, and it meant some parts of the plot could be explained quickly, rather than acting out whole scenes. It was difficult to feel disappointed when this happened because Kelsey Short, who plays Jane, tells these parts of the story really vividly and it feels as though I can see everything she is describing.

Victoria Spearing’s set is quite plain, but there are always items of furniture exactly when and where they are needed. Alan Valentine has kept the lighting quite low which makes the story extra creepy and Gothic, but you can easily see what is going on. Director Adrian McDougall keeps everything fast-moving, but it never seems rushed. Enric Ortuño, as always, gets the fight scenes exactly right for the characters in the moment they are in. John Reed is scary when he attacks Jane, and she defends herself beautifully but realistically.

The cast are so good, I actually didn’t realise there was so much role-doubling. I had no idea Mr Brocklehurst and Mr Rochester were both played by Ben Warwick. Mr Brocklehurst is cruel and cold (but great to watch) and although Mr Rochester is abrupt sometimes and very mysterious, he is lovely really and he tries to be kind. I thought Mr Warwick brought this across very well.

Camilla Simson is so warm and friendly as Mrs Fairfax, it was a surprise to discover she also plays Aunt Reid, who is full of resentment and hate, as well as the sneering and superior Lady Ingram, the troubled Bertha Mason and the sweet Mary Rivers. These characters are all so different and all so well-played.

Eleanor Toms does equally well, playing a scheming Blanche Ingram, a shallow Georgianna Reid (there’s no Eliza, but the story works without her), a devout but very friendly Helen Burns, a childlike Adele (who is adorable with her toys) and a very kind Diana.

Completing the cast is Oliver Hamilton as a creepy St John, a deeply stressed (with very good reason) Mr Mason and a nasty bully of a John Reid. Although there’s no credit, I am guessing he also played lovely William, quietly devoted to his household, but perhaps he was played by a member of the crew.

But it is the story of Jane Eyre, and Kelsey Short is brilliant in the role, showing how Jane grows from an ill-treated but fiery child into a mature and competent adult who is just waiting for someone she can love. She finds lots of people who appreciate her, but we all know who she loves best and they’re a lovely couple.