A bit Daunting

The cast of Jane Eyre reveal secrets of bringing the novel to the stage of Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in the Scarborough News:

Sue Wilkinson: Tell us who you play and about your character in the show?

Eleanor Sutton: I play Jane in the show. In our version, she goes from 10 years old to 18, and experiences a massive amount in those eight years. She’s passionate, rebellious and steadfast, and it’s a real pleasure to tell her story (if a bit daunting).

Sam Jenkins-Shaw: I play Mr Rochester, who runs/owns Thornfield Hall, where Jane arrives to be a governess.

Nia Gandhi: Helen, Adele and a few other characters. Helen is Jane’s friend at school and Adele is Mr Rochester’s ward and Jane’s pupil.

Sarah Groarke: I play Mrs Reed and Mrs Fairfax, plus a number of other more minor roles. These two ladies are very different but both have been great to explore.

Tomi Ogbaro: I play a couple of characters but primarily Brocklehurst, Mason and St John. In way they all exist as foils to Rochester – his antithesis.

Zoe West: I play Abbot, Miss Temple, Grace Poole and Mary Rivers – a real mix of goodies and baddies! (...)

Sue Wilkinson: If you’ve read any of the Brontë novels, which is your favourite?

Eleanor Sutton: When I was a teenager I read both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Back then I think I would have said I preferred Wuthering Heights (sorry), but after re-reading Jane Eyre ahead of this job I appreciated it so much more! It’s such a brave, exciting novel and I reckon it’s now taken the lead as my favourite Brontë...

Sam Jenkins-Shaw: I love the novel. My copy is actually from Waterstone’s in Scarborough where I bought it four years ago when I was playing Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps!

Nia Gandhi: I’ve only read Jane Eyre; it would be great to read some more! I think I’d like to read some Anne Brontë next.

Sarah Groarke: I have only read Jane Eyre – it’s fantastic to be bringing this story to the stage. I think I’d like to read Villette, also by Charlotte Brontë.

Tomi Ogbaro: Ironically, it’d have to be Jane Eyre. It’s such an epic and there are not many books like it. Taking into account the historical climate it was written in, it really is a triumph.

Zoe West: I’ve only read Jane Eyre of all the Brontë novels and I’ve always loved it – I should definitely read some more!

Broadway World shares some pictures of the show: 

This witty and fleet-footed adaptation seeks to present Jane Eyre to a fresh audience while staying entirely true to the original's revolutionary spirit. Using actor-musicians, playful multi-rolling and a host of 19th century pop hits, this is an accessible new version of a literary masterpiece. (Marissa Tomeo)

 The Times Higher Education shares our mantra... check your sources!

In 1971, Joan Stevens noted that the claim that Charlotte Brontë encountered a snowstorm in Yorkshire in July 1848 had been a woozle for over 30 years in Brontë scholarship. (James Stacey Taylor)

Spring reads in The Harvard Crimson:

For Rainy Days: For spring's more brooding, gloomy days, consider the spooky classic “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë. This book has romance, but it is a lot more anguished and tortured than “Act Your Age, Eve Brown.” Get ready for rainy moors and high drama in this oldie-but-goodie about two families entwined in a cycle of love and violence. Sometimes spring isn’t just about the sunshine! (Serena Jampel)

Perfection locations to show in The Yorkshire Evening Post:

Yorkshire is the setting for one of the most tempestuous and passionate relationships – Cathy and Heathcliff, lovers in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. No surprise then that the county is home to many romantic places to visit. (...)

Brontë Country

Explore the wild landscape that inspired romantic classics such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights with a romantic walk through heather-clad moorland. Discover the Brontë Bridge, ruins of Top Withens and the Brontë Falls and take a wander up to Cow and Calf rocks to drink in the view of attractive Victorian spa town Ilkley far below. (Zoe Drye)

The Independent talks about Bridgerton:

A brief look at literature will tell you that all-consuming love is often the product of barriers and obstacles; from Romeo and Juliet, to Madame Bovary and Wuthering Heights – nothing worth having ever came easy. (Emma Clarke)

El Español (Spain) interviews the writer Vanessa Montfort:

¿Recuerda el primer libro que leyó?
Los primeros libros que doblegué yo sola por placer fueron Cumbres borrascosas y novelas picarescas (Lazarillo de Tormes, El Buscón...). Los primeros cuentos, los de Roald Dahl. La primera obra de teatro, Julio César, de Shakespeare. (Translation)

A Charlotte Brontë love quote in Di Lei (Italy).