Emily is a hugely engaging drama

Theatrely was disappointed by Emma Rice's Wuthering Heights.

The production comes from Wise Children with the National Theatre, the former created and led by Emma Rice, who also adapted and directed the production. In its American premiere, Wuthering Heights has moved into St. Ann’s Warehouse with a DIY concept. There’s a relatively bare platform, a perimeter of chairs, along with an extensive collection of small set additions, props, and costumes. It has traveling show energy and festival aesthetics, but suffers from a case of taking itself incredibly seriously.

Advertised with a rock-musical concept, this production is simply not that. There are few songs, all of which leave something to be desired. With only a handful of truly music-forward moments, the middle ground is a repetitive refrain sung (and danced) by whichever ensemble members (“The Moors”) were not actively playing a character. To be fair, the rockstar mic-drop moment advertised was a great moment.

The source text (Emily Brontë if you slept on it in high school English), while convoluted and archaic, was not the problem; the issue came in the indulgent adaptation. Somehow a troupe of fast-moving actors with innovative staging were asked to maintain their sense of whimsy for a near-three hour dulge. Commitments made (performers covering multiple characters) were sacrificed (why were there puppets in one scene?) and I wondered: what is the goal here if not to be different for different’s sake? As the scenes dragged on, energy shifts became noticeable; props tossed offstage without much aim, actors physically sliding into a new scene and completely overshooting the action, even a pair laughing and exchanging glances in the completely unmasked wings of the stage. Clearly this company is capable of comedy and playfulness and I wish I could have seen more of that! It’s a shame the adaptation had such a tight grip on choreographic chaos. Instead of feeling light, fun, modern, we were left with lovely seeming people ticking off boxes on a checklist of how to make your adaptation edgy.

The production offers a standout performance from Liam Tamne (Heathcliff) who balances the long-spanning timeline and character development with ease. Costumes (Vicki Mortimer, also set designer) assist with the transformations, complete with a few “oohs” and “ahhs” when introduced as the well-dressed and powerful Heathcliff at the midway point. Other highlights include the seamlessly run backstage efforts. The Warehouse used minimal curtains and drapes offstage, so audience members could watch a full show from the collective of stage hands operating through each costume change/time shift/new chair modification.

With the best intentions and an open mind, this adaptation was disappointing. The best way for this production to proceed would be trimming to a clean 75 to 90-minute runtime and aligning the production’s creative purpose: exciting rock musical or dense educational retelling. (Amanda Marie Miller)

Craven Herald and Pioneer reviews Emily briefly.

A brief word on Frances O’Connor’s Emily, which recently enjoyed a gala premiere screening at Skipton’s own Plaza Cinema.

A biographical treatment on the possible chain of events that led the illusive, socially introverted, Emily Brontë to the writing of Wuthering Heights, Emily is a hugely engaging drama.

Sex Education star Emma Mackey is superb in the title role here, leading a gorgeous and meticulously crafted directorial debut for O’Connor.

Craven provides the film’s stunning backdrop, while the action before it lingers in the mind long after the credits have finished rolling. (Toby Symonds)

Chicago Tribune has an article on how 'Horror books are having a new golden age in a time of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ and all the new things that frighten us'.

Authors like this — “borderline genre blenders,” Spratford calls them — are giving the genre a lot of mainstream steam, wearing supernatural elements and existential dread to various degrees. Chicago writer Julia Fine’s 2021 novel, “The Upstairs House,” merged ghosts with postpartum depression. The best-seller “Mexican Gothic” brings the supernatural to a 1950s Mexico-set “Jane Eyre.” (Christopher Borrelli)

The Brussels Brontë Blog reports that Flemish art historian and novelist Leen Huet gave a talk on how British writers have seen Belgium and Belgians over the centuries, from a literary and artistic point of view. 

Finally a bit of fun with a quiz on 'Who said it: Brontë or Bush?' on the BBC.