JANE EYRE

Any production of Jane Eyre spanning four-and-a-half-hours in two parts is likely to raise eyebrows. After all, Charlotte Brontë’s much-loved novel has been adapted numerous times – many lasting just half as long.

So what makes this version so special, for special it certainly is?

Well, put simply, it offers the perfect combination of an outstanding cast, breathtaking music and a fearless director.

Director Sally Cookson has chosen to explore Jane’s early life, so we are transported first to Gateshead, where we are introduced to the baby Jane, wrapped in a blanket. In an imaginative sequence, Jane is handed over to her aunt as her uncle slowly descends underground though a hatch, a device that powerfully and subtly marks the numerous deaths in the play. As the hatch closes, her uncle’s last wish – that Jane is taken care of – is uttered, and the blanket is shaken, unravelling into a battered tunic that is placed on the next, 10-year-old incarnation of Jane.

Standing against her two privileged cousins, in their gleaming blue and yellow gowns, there is something Cinderellalike about Jane. These beautiful, poignant transitions take place in just under two minutes – evidence that every minute of this lengthy production counts.

The 10-strong cast, led by the splendid Madeleine Worrall as Jane Eyre, includes three musicians and a singer – and the decision to cast the whole company on the sparse, almost entirely wooden set, decorated only with more girls’ tunics hanging from the ceiling, is inspired.


One of the biggest assets of the piece is undoubtedly the accompanying musical score, which gives prominence to the remarkable script. The singer, the outstanding Melanie Marshall, is also revealed as Rochester’s lunatic wife, Bertha Mason, in a twist that unites the performers further and to great eff ect.

Most of the cast play a multitude of characters, from villains and young French children to dogs and horses. The range of each is exceptional and captivating – and as a company they are extraordinarily tight.

Madeleine Worrall as Jane is exceptional throughout. From a newborn baby, to an angstridden child at Gateshead and Lowood, to her adult years at Thornfield and her tumultuous relationship with Rochester, her subtle changes in voice and stance are fascinating. As her aunt says, ‘I never saw such a plague of passion’.

Of Jane Eyre, this may be true. But this production’s passion is our pleasure.

Until 29 March at Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol: 0117-987 7877, www.bristololdvic.org.uk