A match made at the Heights

Shall we begin with a bit of gossip? Many news outlets - such as Contact Music - are reporting the engagement of Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy, who met while filming Wuthering Heights 2009. So even though this seems to be a love story signed by Emily Brontë we sincerely hope it's serene and happy unlike, you know, Wuthering Heights.

Speaking of passion, the Guardian reviews the current production of Stephen Sondheim's Passion at Donmar Warehouse , London. This is how the reviewer describes the character of Fosca:

[Elena] Roger's Fosca is not some ugly duckling but a lonely, passionate woman who resembles a slender Victorian governess rather than the madwoman in the attic: more Jane Eyre than Mrs Rochester. (Michael Billington)

Stephen Sondheim actually slipped a mention of the Brontës into his musical A Little Night Music, by the way: 'The Brontës are grander/ But not very gay' (in Now).

Another stage review comes from The Sentinel and features the ongoing performances of Jane Eyre. The Musical by the Newcastle Amateur Operatic Society in Stoke-on-Trent.

I am always slightly sceptical when I learn that some celebrated literary work has been converted into a musical, fearing that some of the prose's subtlety and impact will get lost in the tuneful translation.
So I was delighted to be proved woefully wide of the mark by this latest offering from the exceptionally talented Newcastle Amateur Operatic Society.
Charlotte Brontë's darkly gothic love story may not immediately seem to lend itself to melodic accompaniment.
But the stage version packs more than enough emotional power to carry off this feat with apparent ease. [...]
The vocals were not just flawless, they were stunning, often leaving the audience spellbound by the sheer emotional intensity of the scenes.
The partnership of Charlotte Williamson (Jane) and Tom Pear (Rochester) works extremely well, and the pair deliver some amazing duets.
Williamson sings magnificently throughout and is utterly convincing as the adult Jane, tormented by her cruel upbringing and her desire for the enigmatic Rochester.
The rest of the cast are also superb, and some of the younger members, like Amelia Shackleton (young Jane) and Miranda Gresty (Adèle), deliver remarkably mature performances.
The play's impressive set and creative use of lighting succeed in evoking the labyrinthine corridors and sprawling grandeur of the mysterious Thornfield Hall.
And the stage crew also deserve praise for their numerous and precisely-executed in-scene set changes, which really exploit the Rep's limited stage space to the full.
In short, this production makes for truly compelling and entertaining viewing, and everyone involved richly deserved the opening night's standing ovation. (Iain Robinson)

Express Night Out imagines what an action-movie version of Jane Eyre (such as the one depicted by this imaginary poster) would entail.

Quiet, plain Jane moves into a mysterious house filled with secrets. With nothing to do but care for a spoiled young child, Jane gets bored and starts doing push-ups. When the past comes back to haunt her brooding employer, Jane goes on the offensive, armed only with her brains, her courage and the arson skills she learned at reform school. (Fiona Zublin)

We suppose that Amy Tan would rather stick to the original story, which is the one she likes according to TCU Daily Skiff.

"Jane Eyre" is one of Tan's favorite romances because she could relate to Jane throughout the story. (Lizzie Ferguson)

The Post-Crescent interviews the retiring Appleton Public Library director Terry Dawson, who uses Jane Eyre to make a point about the books vs-ebooks debate.

People are still accessing the same materials — "Jane Eyre" is "Jane Eyre," whether you read it in hardcover or on a Kindle. . .

The Argonaut tells a real-life love story involving a copy of Jane Eyre. And a young local athlete interviewed by Northfield News praises Wuthering Heights (and seems to understand it much better than older, supposedly more 'learned' people too).

On the blogosphere, Stephanie's Written Word has a guest post by Syrie James which includes als a giveaway of her three novels (one of them is, as you know, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë). One Long Day Leading into the Next posts about Wuthering Heights and The Loos discusses Jane Eyre and some of its screen adaptations. Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover has a very interesting post on Victorian literature (including Charlotte's Jane Eyre). And finally Black Gate has a very original review/conversation on Clare B. Dunkle's The House of Dead Maids and Wuthering Heights.

Categories: Books, Brontëites, Humour, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Music, References, Theatre, Wuthering Heights