Based on the original novel by Charlotte Brontë, Bristol Old Vic’s adaptation of JANE EYRE has been imaginatively catapulted into the 21st century. This version is a coming of age story, which focuses on the importance of Jane as a woman, who, in spite of everything, fights for herself and her freedom in a brave and unforgiving way. This reworking is as relevant now as ever. In a time where women are still fighting for equality; whether that be in monetary terms or simply in how they are viewed by the world, Jane Eyre is flying the feminism flag high and not apologising for doing so.Jane Eyre tells the story of a young girl (Nadia Clifford) brought up with her aunts family after both parents die. She suffers a lot of abuse both physically at the hands of her cousin John and mentally from her aunt Mrs Reed (Lynda Rooke). She is sent away to study at a charity school; Lowood, and although she is abused here too, she gets an education. She works at the school for a while and then manages to secure a job as a governess at Thornfield Manor for a lively girl, Adele (Hannah Bristow). She falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester, (Tim Delap) and just as they are set to marry it transpires he is already married with an estranged wife who lives upstairs. She escapes, but without any money, she struggles to survive. It is not until Thornfield Manor burns down that she decides to return and start a new life with Rochester in the hope that the baby girl they bring into the world together has a more secure upbringing than she did.
What makes this version so interesting throughout is that is has come out of a completely devised process. According to Sally Cookson she knew which ‘characters were in and which were out’ and had ‘a rough structure in place’ before they started rehearsals but that was it, and so every nuance has been worked on together and it feels as if they are breathing as one. Cookson’s direction is sublime and the fluidity of the piece moment to moment has been created with such attention to detail. Together with the movement director, Dan Canham, they have managed to create a wonderful piece of physical theatre which challenges form in order to tell this story in their own innovative way. By creating such visually stunning moments, such as when Rochester gives Jane a wedding veil and it flying out of the box and taking over the stage, the audience are drawn in by the beauty of what is unfolding in front of them not just the words many are so used to.
The set was made up of many wooden levels and wrought iron climbing frames and ladders, emphasising the importance being placed strongly on the story, but also allowing a very playful feel. Everything else was created or brought into the scene by the ensemble, enabling a blank canvas for the stories to be told and the many characters to be created.
It is clear that this piece has been developed as a company because the ensemble work together with slick precision. Dressed in the same colours yet adding an item when they need to be distinguishable, they imaginatively bring the world we are watching to life. There is a lot of choral speaking, sound effects and expertly timed movements. The set up of this form helps us when they start to become Jane’s inner thoughts, in another production this could have jarred but not here we have gone with them on this journey, and continue to do so throughout. The musicians are also very much included in this ensemble too, they become part of the action at moments and the music is wonderfully used to aid the storytelling. Rochester’s wife Bertha (Melanie Marshall) is fully realised and is portrayed by a singer dressed in red. Using a plethora of instruments the musicians play some beautifully eerie tones of songs we recognise to create this sense of foreboding as this central character wanders the stage nameless until the end.
Jane says, ‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will’ and this, for me, speaks loudly as the heart of the piece. So go forth, be who you want to be, do what you want to do, there is no time but now, embrace it, for who knows what the future may hold. Jane Eyre is as relevant now as it ever was.
In AFTER THE REHEARSAL director Ivo van Hove stages a naturalistic piece of theatre adapted from the film of the same name, focussing on the psychological complexity of Bergman’s story about the aging theatre director Hendrik Vogler (Gijs Scholten van Aschat). Much centres around the women in his life, the late actress Rachel (Marieke Heebink) and her daughter Anna (Gaite Jansen). “The director needs to learn two things, how to listen, and when to shut up”, says Hendrik to the young protégée Anna.