Asian Brontës (II)

The Portsmouth News publishes a review of Tamasha's Wuthering Heights stop in Southampton.

The title Wuthering Heights is misleading as this production is not set on a brooding, windy Yorkshire moor but in the scorched desert of Rajasthan at the end of the 18th Century.
However, this musical adaptation echoes Brontë's timeless tale of passion and jealousy in many ways and compares the rigid Victorian class system with the traditional values held by Hindu society.
Writer Deepak Verma (Sanjay in EastEnders) has produced a script which asks the same questions as the original novel and sets love against a backdrop of class discrimination.
Made in association with the production company behind the award winning East is East, the creators produce the feel of a Bollywood epic by using a cinematic set, a lip-synced vocal score and a sprinkling of Hindi.
Disappointingly the expected big Bollywood dance scenes are missing but the small cast are skilfully directed to fill the stage as much as possible. Visually the work is bold and performed beautifully, with Pushpinder Chani and Youkti Patel excelling as the love struck counterparts to Heathcliff and Cathy.
However, although this adaptation is skilfully woven some aspects are not explored in enough detail and give a rushed and unconvincing ending.
With only three years between conception and opening night this production doesn't seem totally completed yet. With bigger ensemble scenes and some re-working this could be a Bollywood blockbuster in the making as all the right ingredients are in place.
Until Saturday. (Victoria Luke)

The Guardian partly touches on this Bollywood version of Wuthering Heights in an article about an Arts Council initiative to enable under-26s to go to the theatre for free.

With only one set of free tickets allocated per person for each venue, Spring Awakening seems to have been a savvy choice for this season; Wuthering Heights, it turns out, is not. The songs are rather bad, and despite the show being billed as a musical, they're mimed rather than sung live. My companion is equally underwhelmed, and in the interval we grumble about the tone of the production, the way that it falls short of both Bollywood melodrama and Brontëan passion, all the while feeling a bit churlish for doing so. The play boasts the strapline "Brontë goes to Bollywood", but I find myself feeling Brontë should have stayed at home in Yorkshire. Perhaps I'm prematurely middle-aged. (Hermione Hoby)

Just a brief note here: most, if not all, Bollywood musicals use lip-syncing, not live singing.

We have now seen a few pictures of the Chinese theatrical adaptation of Jane Eyre, thanks to CriEnglish.

The Chinese theatrical adaptation of 'Jane Eyre', based on the romantic English novel of the same name by Charlotte Bronte, is currently under rehearsal in Beijing.
The cameras moved in close and the spotlight was cast on the lead actress's plain face, which looked clean and natural with minimal makeup.
In a loose grey cotton dress, Yuan Quan was just as serene as 'Jane Eyre' in the novel.
Though never losing her dress sense, she prefers to put on something less glamorous for rehearsal.
The grey outfit was specially made for rehearsals as the actress needs to feel a certain way in order to immerse herself into the role and get closer to the character. This certainly worked as she wore the dress every time while practicing her lines.
Wang Luoyong, China's first mainland Broadway singer and an experienced actor, plays Jane Eyre's lover, Edward Rochester.
Yuan said this renowned 'Engineer' from the musical 'Miss Saigon' has instilled much spirit into the drama and gives her the right feeling to better build up the role. She initially worried that working with Wang would be a big challenge but instead has drawn a lot of inspiration from him.
The actor also enjoyed their collaboration very much.
"In my mind, she really has a lot of similarities with Jane Eyre," said Wang, adding Yuan Quan doesn't impress people with her striking looks, instead her beauty glows from within and it is very impressive.
The drama will take to stage in the National Center for the Performing Arts from June 19-28. (Tian Tian) (Picture source)

And yet another Asian adaptation: the Japanese take on Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre the Musical, which will be on stage for most of September at the Nissay Theatre, Tokyo. Here's a very rough Google translation of the article published by Pia News.

Matsu Takako star in the musical "Jane Eyre" Production announcement press conference, held June 1 in Tokyo. Stage, movies, dramas and films that the pine to the single star in the musical and the first time.
Best known as the Charlotte Bronte novel is beloved around the world read "Jane Eyre". This, "Les Miserables" is the famous director John Caird, lyrics and doing his own screenplay, this film was the 2000 opening on Broadway in years. In the five Tony Award winning musical will be nominated and evaluation, this addition, John Caird himself remixing the script as you perform in Japan, rebuilding the music play to produce. John "Broadway work I get a commercial pressure. Or Do it with a strong element of comedy, I should not work on a large scale because of the story depicts the emotional outburst of the private and had been a very big scale. I did not understand that writing has changed considerably in collaboration with composer Paul Gordon. " Broadway over the "full version" and they performed this.
To play the heroine, Matsu Takako. "This is a heroine and a great performance, sing a great song, says actress should not have the mental power.'ve Seen during the first stage of his Takako, who do we find Jane, and思IMASHI or "Song to John and has been praised for" having the confidence I need to practice more, because of challenging work, 9 this month, dedicated to Jane Eyre's "modest and comments. Of Rochester will play the role opposite of Hashimoto Satoshi Jane. Pine with a few people have an experience together "(pine tree), her tough.惚RERU customers are the actors and actresses. Did not I would not do together in this love story No way. A miracle, I would like to express love for the stage. " Hashimoto to talk sprinkled with laughter and the light, John "in the wild and Rochester, the hero is not simple. If you know the Charlotte Bronte to Kansai if any (to speak to Mr. Hashimoto) written in Kansai I think I did "nothing to comment, and seemed confident in the casting.
The photo session is the last meeting, Hashimoto, pine and cast a smile to the camera, and suddenly John "You want me on my stage?" Or someone's shoulder, and looking fit or progress in the atmosphere, already company that was suitable for垣間見breath. Performance is Tuesday, September 1 from 29 (Tues.), at日生劇場. Tuesday, September 1 is a preview performance. Tickets are Monday, June 29 to begin the public sale. (Picture source)

Categories: Jane Eyre, Music, Theatre, Wuthering Heights