Review: JANE EYRE, Rose Theatre Kingston - Tour
Photo credit: Johan Persson
First seen at the Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre in 2015, Sally Cookson’s adaptation of Jane Eyre is touring in a co-production between the Rose, the Mercury at Colchester and Storyhouse Chester. Such co-productions are now the lifeblood of much regional theatre, offering local audiences the chance to see home-grown productions of a standard that would be impossible for one producing theatre to fund alone.
The ladders and window frames of the original production are replaced here by a single steep staircase, vaguely translucent and covered in speakers which also function as lighting sources. It’s a striking setting and must do wonders for the calf muscles of the cast: in the first act, at least, they are continually walking up and down these steps. Director Lily Dyble, recipient of the Peter Hall Director’s Award allowing her to work on a midscale production, is certainly a creative force to be reckoned with. Together with designer Anna Yates, she pulls out all the stops and uses all kinds of theatrical devices - perhaps slightly too many. Lucia Sănchez Roldán’s lighting completes the remarkable work by this creative team.
The staircase seems constraining in the first act, although perhaps that is intended. After the interval, it revolves to reveal another playing space and the cast also make use of the surrounding stage. The chorus of speakers, so effective when creating the red room or relaying Joseff Harris’s soundscape but eventually being moved around once too often, finally disappear towards the end leaving the bleak monolith of a staircase unadorned. In a largely abstract production, we also get a striking image with real flames as Bertha sets fire to Thornfield, despite what looked like press night gremlins.
Costume Designer Khadija Raza has created some images that reflect on aspects of the book; Bertha’s ripping of the wedding veil, for example, we see re-enacted with Jane wearing it in a creative sequence. A strong cast of nine double and triple parts and most of the key events of the novel are included although with the emphasis on the central growing bond between Jane and Rochester.
Among the cast, Andrea Gatchalian offers a convincing portrayal of the ailing Helen as well as the irrepressible Adele, Kate Kordel pairs an initially unbending Aunt Reed with a Mrs Fairfax who also comes to see Jane’s qualities over time, and Leo Wan as Mason makes the complexities of this story rather clearer than is sometimes the case.
Both central roles are extremely well cast, with Gabriel Akuwudike’s Rochester, despite the RP accent, a wholly convincing anti-hero. Opposite him, Olivia Marcus embodies both the Jane of the book and the rather more forthright and powerful figure of Cookson’s adaptation. Her portrayal is quite rightly the centre of the production and her spirit and determination are totally convincing in this impressive performance.
It’s good to see work of this quality being produced by regional theatres, and creatives being given the opportunity to work on mid-scale productions. After playing at Colchester and Kingston, the production tours to Newcastle and Chester. It’s an inventive and absorbing production, well worth seeing if it comes near you.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Chris Abbott