Underdog, The Other Other Bronte

This was a clever and witty play and Mark Preston and Clare Woodward ensured we understood all of the humour and pathos. They had obviously worked hard with the three sisters who were relaxed and confident with each other. Having two onstage entrances avoided any loss of pace and the aisle through the audience added another exit. The actors kept their realistic Yorkshire accents all the way through, understood the wordplay and the modern swearing never felt false or jarring. The section of correspondence between Charlotte and Anne moved the story on and had a very modern feel to it.

The sisters were all believable with their realistic mix of silliness and bickering and we sympathised with the confines of their lives and status.

Corinne Woodgate was the eldest sister, Charlotte. Her performance was confident and easy to watch. Her role was almost that of the narrator and her long speeches had good pace and clear delivery.

Middle sister Emily, played by Amelia Blackham-Hayward, was the provoking one, spikey and sarcastic but also most sympathetic to the struggles of their wayward brother, Branwell.

Anne, the youngest, was given optimism, naivety, passion and a strong sense of injustice by Emily Donoghue.

James Roe was Branwell, caught in his desire to become a recognised artist but aware of his limitations and falling in to addiction to close the void.

The minor characters worked well together in their various roles. Demonstrating cruelty, incredulity and humour throughout the play. I must pick out Rachel Curren who stepped out from stage crew to fill a gap due to cast illness, her haughty Mrs Ingham was very good.

The set was relatively simple and the back projections helped the audience know the locations of the play. I found it quite moving to see each person disappear from the portrait of the siblings as they succumbed to their early deaths.

The furniture and smaller props were appropriate to the time which was important as Charlotte regularly reminded us of what year we were in. I particularly liked the enormous pork pie in the shape of a star. The cast was able to move much of the furniture and props in scene changes which I think is a good decision.

Costumes for the sisters were simple, demonstrating their financial situation and social status. The ensemble changed character by good use of accessories.

The lighting showed us changes of rooms or locations and the anachronistic music and white noise emphasised the feelings of the young women being out of step with society.

My guest and I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a play led by three young women and they did a grand job. We were warmly welcomed, had a chat with some of the creative team and were very pleased the air conditioning was working, well done CTW.

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