Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a novel written by Charlotte Brontë and was first published in 1847 under her pen name Currer Bell. This adaption for the stage is by Chris Bush and premiered in 2022 and is referred to as ‘A play with songs’, the songs are composed by Simon Slater. Staying true to the key plot of the novel it tells of Jane, who is an orphan and is brought up by her cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed but is sent away to grow up at the bleak Lowood School, an institution with a harsh regime, but she craves freedom and change. Striking out on her own, she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall to the French ward of the mysterious Edward Rochester.Jane grows close to Rochester and they make plans to marry. However when she discovers that he has a wife, she abandons him and their burgeoning love. After toying with the idea of becoming the dutiful wife of a devout clergyman, she feels Rochester’s call and returns to Thornfield to find him blind and injured amid the ruins of his ashen house.

I must say that I was naively expecting a straight forward production of the play and was wondering how they were going to depict the various locations in the play on the Theatre’s very small and intimate stage and I was further completely taken aback when glancing at the programme to find that there was an element of music and songs included. Well, there was a totally innovative answer to the location and scene settings in that on the stage were four flats uniquely covered in different materials depicting a background of rural scenery with black curtains in between. On the stage were different chairs which throughout were repositioned for use in various scenes, the locations and placing of them indicating a change of scene sometimes assisted by a brief blackout. You really needed to have a vivid imagination to comprehend all of these changes but I must admit, that it did work and in fact assisted the smooth running of the play. 

Jane was outstandingly portrayed by Grace Day. She exquisitely expressed the many and varied nuances of the character with such intensity and emotion. We first meet her as a child, when following a lovely song and dance routine, we hear a terrific scream to find her being held down in a chair by two maids, which was quite unnerving to watch, as she shouted, screamed and cried only to be told by an embittered Mrs. Reed, well played by Helen Rogers, that she would be locked in a room. She was so disturbed and distraught and Grace so movingly sang such a mournful song. Jim Lack, as Dr. Lloyd, appeared on the scene who was so kind and caring towards Jane suggesting that it would be best for her to be sent away to school. Enter Mr. Brocklehust, the cruel master of Lowood. Lewis Hancock was perfect in this role, He so forcibly and cruelly demanded total submission and obedience from the pupils. The ‘school pupils’, namely Esther Ankcorn, Sheila Sly, Anna Ruda, Vanessa Vaughan and Danny Washington, were all just terrific as was Alicia Hill as Miss Temple a kind teacher at the school who treats the pupils with respect. Jane, at one point, is made to stand on a stool where she sings a song and is joined by the girls and Miss Temple as they so harmoniously join in. Helen Burns, who befriended Jane, was wonderfully played by Esther Ankcorn as she tries her best to endure the miserable life which Jane, still angry, finds very hard to comprehend. The scene where she dies in Jane’s arms was so poignantly delivered and she then ‘walks off’ down the centre aisle. It is now seven years later and  Jane is greeted as the new Governess at Thornfield Hall by Mrs. Fairfax, excellently played by Sheila Sly, who introduces her to her pupil. What an absolutely delightful portrayal come from Anna Ruda as the French speaking Adele who Rochester brought to England after her mother, with whom he had had an affair, abandoned her. We have the scene when a ‘man’ walks down the aisle and is presumably knocked off his horse by Jane and an ascerbic altercation ensues. This of course was Mr. Rochester who Jane finally meets at a later date. Mr. Rochester was superbly played by Chris Rooke. He totally commanded the stage with such a domineering, authoritative attitude and there were many altercations between himself and Jane. Blanche Ingram, who hopes to marry Rochester, along with her mother Lady Ingram make a fleeting visit to Thornfield. Blanche, played by Alicia Hill and Lady Ingram by Vanessa Vaughan perfectly epitomised the superior and snobbishness of the upper class. Some time later Rochester does declare his feelings for Jane, finally asking her to marry him. Their wedding, which is interrupted by Helen Rogers as Briggs, an attorney, who learned from Mr. Mason, skilfully played by Lewis Hancock none more so then when earlier he had tumbled on to the stage after being bitten by his sister Bertha, is when Jane finds out that Mr. Rochester is in fact already married to Bertha Mason. Esther Ankcorn, as Bertha, manically and violently bursts on to the stage only to be held down by Grace Poole, her keeper, who was admirably portrayed by Sally Shaw. Rochester now pleads with Jane, asking for forgiveness. Jane is so upset by this and following the removal of her wedding dress and donning the attire of the governess she, totally heartbroken, flies down the centre aisle only to return totally dishevelled and thoroughly exhausted following her trek across the moors. Jane finds herself at the house of St John Rivers where his two sisters Mary and Diana, charmingly played by Esther Ankcorn and Alicia Hill, comfort and look after her. Daryl Dudey perfectly delivered the coldness, the somewhat controlling nature of St John with great assurance as he eventually asks Jane to accompany him on his religious mission. In the midst of thunder and lightening Jane hears a voice calling her and she returns to Thornfield to find that Rochester is blind and has been severely injured whilst trying, but not able, to save Bertha. Finally, and with such expressive and heart rending emotion, Rochester proposes to Jane, and she accepts. The lively finale involved the whole cast in a lovely song and dance routine.

Grace Day was exceptional as Jane and together with the superb Chris Rooke as Mr Rochester the dynamism that ensued between them was, at times, electrifying but the demands of the play are such that there are so many other vital characters and these were all so impressively delivered by just eleven other cast members, nine of them having multiple roles which were all so individually and differently portrayed. The songs and dance routines did add another dimension to the play all of which were excellent and so imaginatively, enthusiastically and effectively executed

The simple set and props, an excellent lighting plot, absolutely stunning costumes, so in keeping with the period of the book, together with the wonderful and talented cast all came together to produce a most innovative and entertaining production. Many congratulations to Artistic Director Chris Heery, to Musical Director Andrew Marples, to Choreographer Chris Rooke, to the trio of fine musicians, Andrew Marples, Chris Flint and Doug Shipstone, to everyone involved both Backstage and Front of House and most especially to the superb cast. My thanks also to Simon, for his very warm welcome.

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