Polly Teale’s unconventional approach to Jane Eyre splits our heroine in two. It opens with two young girls reading aloud to one another and leaping about the stage: one is Jane (Chloe Gale) whose progression from ‘queer’ child to wilful adult is skilfully conveyed through precise direction and confident diction. The other is billed as Bertha (Joanne Murray), Mr Rochester’s insane wife who lurks in his attic for the majority of the novel but features prominently in this adaptation. The audience is presented with two Janes – one outward ego who interacts with the world around her, and another inward id which is fused with Bertha’s character.
Bertha is onstage for the entire production and although Murray doesn’t have a lot of lines, she makes the most of an incredibly physical role and communicates with the audience throughout. Her writhing and moaning behind the rest of the cast throughout the play deserve a review of their own. This uninterrupted performance could potentially wear thin and seem laboured or distracting at points but it also sets this dramatisation apart from the novel and adds another layer to a familiar story. Murray’s movement opens up questions of sexual repression in an original way as well as constantly reminding us of the gap between Jane’s thoughts and her actions: without soliloquies, this distinction can easily be lost in plays.
The concept is effective in the opening scene: Jane is scolded by the cruel Mr Reed, and the two girls respond with one voice. This technically demanding touch works well as a vocal performance and brought home Jane’s duality to me for the first time. The concept also works well when St. John tries to pressure Jane into marrying him and coming to India with him as a missionary: Jane rejects him articulately while Bertha’s violent movements rail against his Christian hypocrisy on a raised platform behind them. Alex Stutt conveys St. John’s pompousness and piety with deliciously disdainful curls of the lip: his performance is mature and assured throughout.
Josie Richardson is versatile and extremely watchable as Bessie, Blanche Ingram and Diana Rivers, three diverse supporting roles which she performs with an array of accents and mannerisms. These solid supporting performances ground the play in reality . Whether or not such a psychoanalytical presentation of Bronte’s novel appeals to you, this is a play well worth attending. The calibre of the actors means you’re always in safe hands, yet this Jane Eyre has been dangerously and innovatively reworked.
FOUR STARS
