Review: WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Bristol Old Vic
Photo credit: Steve Tanner
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte’s sweeping gothic tale of passion, revenge and redemption has proved well trodden ground for adaptation over the years; so much so that arguably the challenge lies in making the familiar exciting and engaging. Enter then, the formidably adventurous company Wise Children and director Emma Rice who, through a striking blend of music, movement, humour and melodrama, make Bronte’s classic tale fizz with new life.
Our guide through the two generational feud between the Earnshaws and the Lintons is The Moor, headed by Nandi Bhebe, and other ensemble members throughout the piece. They act as a kind of Greek Chorus narrating, singing, dancing and driving the story forward in place of Nelly Dean, the primary narrator of the novel. Giving the landscape so synonymous with the story its own sense of identity and voice is a clever choice as it allows for seamless transitions between narrative and live music: Ian Ross’s blend of folk, rock and punk rock influences are anthemic and haunting in turn.
Pair this with Simon Baker’s sound and video design that includes backdrops of scudding clouds and stormy weather, and Jai Morjaria’s deliciously characterful lighting – subtle and striking changes in colour and intensity give the proceedings a sense of energy and immediacy that draws you in.
There are occasions where the energy teeters and threatens to unbalance though: Etta Murfitt’s boundlessly energetic choreography, as always, gives the piece and the space where it’s performed new depth but here, the cast are constantly moving and it often feels a little too busy and you don’t know where to look as so much is going on. Vicki Mortimer’s stripped back set: windows, doors and towers of chairs, along with puppetry used sparingly, is also atmospheric and gives the actors room to play and enjoy telling this story.
And play they do! In fact, Rice’s direction finds more humour in the piece than expected: gags about the weather, the physicality as Little Linton is introduced to and cowers from his father, and a glorious scene stealing turn from Craig Johnson as Doctor Kenneth, who appears in the opening of Act Two having an existential crisis in the wake of a mounting body count. Many of the cast double or triple up in various roles, notably Katy Owen as the lovesick Isabella Linton and later her son, the needy and at times infuriating Little Linton, both treated appallingly by Heathcliff. The ease in which the cast throw themselves into varying guises is always a joy to see. As with the temptation to have too much going on and thus lose focus, at times the humour doesn’t always land as well as it could, or becomes slightly uncomfortable (especially during scenes where the elder Little Linton threatens and cajoles Young Cathy) but on the whole, it feels well judged.
Arguably the humour is needed as at the core of Wuthering Heights is the dark, tempestuous relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. As Catherine, Lucy McCormick is delightfully sassy and charismatic, an ethereal quality about her that captures the attention even when she isn’t the focus. Ash Hunter cuts an incredibly powerful figure as Heathcliff, vulnerable and sympathetic without ever losing the hardened edge the character needs. Both share a spirited, lively chemistry that suits this adaptation beautifully, anchoring it in the core of the novel amidst the new elements of creativity.
“If you want romance? Go to Cornwall…. There is no love here” proclaims the ensemble at the top of the second act. Indeed, love is in short supply in the story as all the characters deal with ramifications of the choices they make and how they are treated, but what abounds here is a love for the source material and creative process, a sure-fire sign of all the most brilliantly affecting pieces of theatre.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Kerrie Nicholson
Wuthering Heights runs at Bristol Old Vic until 6 November, with performances being live streamed from 4-6 November. It will tour to York in November, and head to the National Theatre in 2022.