Imagination, emotion and desire

A Younger Theatre reviews DramaSoc's take on Wuthering Heights.

Of course, the book has a way of capturing this rich, shifting atmosphere, but does Gough’s adaptation? Yes! And this production executes her re-juggling of the events in the book very nicely, and evokes the book’s atmosphere in a new way through the fast scene transitions. Lighting and music all play a large part in doing this, and keep things running smoothly throughout. There are times, however, when I felt that music and sound could be used further to enhance the atmosphere and mood of each scene and transition – the first time music is used is when Cathy and Heathcliff run out onto the moors together, and it marks a very poignant moment within the play. If music were used to effect throughout, including in scene transitions, then the atmosphere would have been much stronger. Having said that, Hughes’s decision to bullet-point certain moments with music does work effectively, and creates emotional peaks and troughs throughout to further enhance those of the characters.
Speaking of which, characterisation here is pretty strong. Cooke and Telfer portray their roles very well, tapping into nuances of age and experience as the play moves forward. It’s all about detail when it comes to crafting well-rounded characters, and it’s very clear that this has been a crucial part this production’s creation. From the change in accents to the shift in physicality, Cooke and Telfer – and indeed most of the cast – do an excellent job of breathing life into the characters of Brontë’s classic novel.
A simplistic set also enables us to focus on the characters and their emotions, which underpin the entirety of the action within the play. Empty frames and rustic wooden furniture bind us into Heathcliff’s cyclical struggle, and the never-ending cycle of love that continues to haunt the family for generations. These characters have survived well into the present day and Hughes emphasises this fact perfectly.
This is a brilliant, well-considered and enjoyable production of Wuthering Heights. Driven by imagination, emotion and desire, it’s well worth a watch. (Adam Bruce)

As reported by The Week, Wuthering Heights is actually one of writer Kevin Barry's 6 favourite books.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (Dover, $4.50). I was home sick from school, aged 10, and this was lying around the house. I remember being lifted from my skin by it. I was taken from an Irish suburb in the early 1980s and set down on a wind-blasted, 19th-century Yorkshire moor, and into the maelstrom of one of literature's great doomed romances. It taught me that a book could truly be a vehicle.

And Daily Telegraph (Australia) uses the novel to date a library (although truth be told the library is 'only' 70 years old).

Mosman Library has such a long and proud history that Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was once the most borrowed and popular book. (Kate Crawford)

Times Leader has some 'Gift ideas for the women in your life' such as

A real page turner
For the woman who has everything, put a new book on her shelf. Books appreciated by women include everything from inspirational offerings such as Liz Curtis Higgs’ “The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh,” to cookbooks like Ree Drummond’s “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier,” to historical books such as Eric Metaxas’ “Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness,” Don’t forget to think outside the box and consider classic titles such as Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” or D.J. Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers.” (Geri Gibbons)

While The Debrief recommends '5 Autobiographies To Ask For At Christmas That Are Actually Good'. Strangely, Claire Harman's Biography of Charlotte Brontë is among them and obviously not an AUTObiography.

3. Charlotte Brontë: A Life - Claire Harman (Penguin Viking)
This formal, traditional biography looks like the sort of thing you might get out of the library when you’ve got to write an essay but reads like the sort of thing only your wackiest friend might make up. Brontë really had quite the life, from her grim boarding school (the inspiration for Jane Eyre’s totally traumatising Lowood), to trying opium (via over the counter laudanum) to fuel her writing fantasies and falling in love married men. Then there’s the iconic feminist writer bit too, which is particularly fascinating when she’s basically writing Byronic fan fic with her sisters and calling it Scribblemania.  (Alexandra Heminsley)

The Brontë death jewellery is discussed on AnneBrontë.org. About Me! reviews the Northern Ballet's performances of Wuthering Heights.The Most Romantic Heroes posts about Heathcliff. Alban and Lyme reviews the National Theatre's performances of Jane Eyre.