Wuthering Heights in Manchester

Lots of reviews the performances of Wise Children's Wuthering Heights at The Lowry. From I Love Manchester 

Emily Brontë’s beautiful yet harsh tale of love, obsession, revenge and redemption has been adapted for the stage and screen many times.

It is really difficult to get the tone right, as on one hand you have the infamous love story between Heathcliff and Cathy that most people remember, but you have to mix this with the grim biting winds of the Yorkshire Moors and the fact that the two lead characters cannot really be softened. 

As soon as you do that, the essence of the story is gone.

For me, Andrea Arnold’s 2011 film version captures all of the above and more and avoids the Disney treatment or adaptations for a global market. It is ugly/beautiful.

Emma Rice is the perfect director and adaptor for this new National Theatre co-production with Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and York Theatre Royal. If you have seen her work on magic on the celebrated stage productions of Brief Encounter and Angela Carter’s Wise Children, you expect a celebration of a well-known text whilst playing fast and loose and the addition of madcap humour.

That’s exactly what you get here, and on the night I attended, there were many schools in attendance, waiting for the lines of text that they were studying. And they get that – it is represented in a way that someone studying the novel can follow with ease, but likewise, if you are new to the text, characters explain key plot points with a cheeky smile and great gags. [...]

It explores passion, mental health and puts a spotlight on the selfless roles of women who were more than child bearers, but society wanted nothing more from them.

Emma Rice adds music and dance and the breaking of the fourth wall, and characters step out of the play text and converse with the audience. 

This works incredibly well, and is so clever and knowing that during a musical sequence, one character says: “This isn’t very catchy, is it?” [...]

Cathy (played with fiery passion and a lust for life by Lucy McCormack) delivers a rock number and at the end she literally drops the mic. It is moments like this that leave you beaming. 

McCormack is never off stage and her Cathy is complex, wild and at times unhinged. She flies around the stage like a firework and really highlights the lack of support that women received. 

Liam Tamne’s Heathcliff is stoic, cold, yet haunted by his past and equally obsessed. He delivers the song and dance elements really well, and it’s no surprise as he has not long finished performing in the epic musical production of The Prince of Egypt in the West End.   

Katy Owen steals many scenes alternating between the roles of Isabella Linton and her son Linton Heathcliff. She transforms herself with no make-up, it is all down to physicality, and the effects are not only funny but also quite remarkable. 

The audience love this performance and you can hear the buzz whenever this gifted performer steps onto the stage. 

The supporting cast members are all excellent and his generous production gives all of them a chance to shine.

Etta Murfitt’s movement and choreography does more than cover set changes, it brings the text to life, alongside Jai Morjaria’s striking lighting which puts a spotlight on all aspects of the representation. 

The songs are witty and have a warmth about them which contrasts beautifully with the gritty and earthy text. There are too many musical numbers though, which does mean the run time is stretched to the limit at almost three hours. [...]

Emma Rice’s production of Wuthering Heights is so inventive, funny and inviting to both newcomers and lovers of Emily Brontë’s bold and beautiful book, that I guarantee you, that like me you will become obsessed with it. (Glenn Meads)

Manchester Theatres has a very long review:

This is Wuthering Heights as it has never been seen before.  This truly theatrical experience untwists and unfurls the trickier elements of the novel, keeping it true to the story but making it equally accessible for anyone who has wanted to read it but has been put off by the ‘heaviness’ and length of the literature.   Emma Rice (Romantics Anonymous, Wise Children, Brief Encounter) has created a modern masterpiece from a classic and her unique, creative and daring choices wowed me from beginning to end. 

One of the first things to stand out was arguably the lead character in the story – the Yorkshire Moors themselves.  Magnificently created by the actors as a chorus, their frantic movement quite literally brought the moors to life, allowing everything they represent to be personified.  The cast vocally emerges you into the wild weather that rampages the landscape with a chilling soundscape of screams, screeches and shrieks.  It raises goosebumps as if you were wrapped in the turbulent scene for real.  Nandi Bhebhe (Bagdad Café, A Monster Calls, A Midsummer Nights Dream) leads this wonderfully wild chorus of Moors actors with a raw and relishing authority.  She is strong, funny, captivating and has a beautiful singing voice.  Minimal sets are used to maximum effect and create everything that is needed.  The sparse stage is the perfect echo of the sparse moors, uncluttered, baron and with nowhere to hide. [...]

  The cast makes themselves “one of us” by relating their own confusion, asking, “Why is it so difficult to follow?” and “Why do all the characters have to have the same name?”  This is in no way a slight on the brilliance of Brontë’s work, but a clever choice to assure the audience that we will be guided throughout the performance, and they thankfully stay faithful to their word, allowing for break out moments where the plot is recapped, the cast ask the questions we are all thinking so that we may receive and answer, and the numerous deaths are tallied and continuously made obvious by a chosen method of chalking them up on a board.  Once this has been established and Lockwood has visited Cathy Linton and Hareton Earnshaw, we travel back in time to see how we got to this point. [...]

Lucy McCormick (Triple Threat, Post Popular, Life: LIVE!, Artist in resident at the Soho Theatre) powerfully leads the cast as Catherine and is made for this production.  Her performance is feral, fierce and feisty as she twitches, growls and laughs with untamed abandonment throughout.  McCormick is given flight to be at her best when she breaks into her rebellious rock song and dance routine “I Am The Earth”, accompanied by a band that unleash prayer to all the rock gods!  She recreates the electric intensity she is known for in her solo shows, injecting it into Catherine with all the untamed savagery needed for this tormented character.  Her passion is so penetrating that you feel helpless watching the demise of Catherine.  When McCormick spurges those famous words from the core of her being, “He’s more myself than I am,” I can honestly say that for the first time ever, I felt and understood the true depth of what they mean.  She was incredible.

Liam Tamne (The Prince Of Egypt, Bonnie & Clyde, Spamilton, The Rocky Horror Show, Phantom, Les Mis) is brilliantly brooding as the wilful Heathcliff.  His performance resonates as he meshes together the relevance of his hatred towards polite society, with issues of exclusion and prejudice that are still relevant today.  Watching the transformation that Tamne takes Heathcliff on was so believable, it was terrifying.  He took it so slowly, so subtly, that you suddenly found yourself watching a version of Heathcliff in the second act and wondered when did brooding become brutish?  When did uncontrolled become uncontrollable?  Tamne really drove home the dark and dangerous side of Heathcliff and between him and McCormick, their relationship was palpable. [...]

Go and watch this production without expectation but with an open mind and heart.  It is wonderful to see how a classic can be interpreted and delivered into a new world and live, thrive and survive within that world comfortably.  The story has not been tampered with but it has been re-imagined and given a bold and audacious revamp, making many of its themes seem entirely relatable for todays audience.  The injection of satire and humour into an otherwise dark and gothic story is one that is risqué and one that I applaud.  Unique interpretation is key to this production of Wuthering Heights and tears down the old-fashioned class barriers associated with traditional and classic literature and theatre audiences, welcoming a new wave into the fold.  There is still a place for such traditional pieces of course, but what this production does is recognise a much wider audience and encourages theatre for all.  It cleverly pulls on themes from the book and mocks the silent hierarchy of those who still believe that classic literature and theatre are to be exclusively enjoyed by certain classes. (Karen Ryder)

From North West End UK:

The fact that Emma Rice is the wizard behind tonight’s curtain is the first and biggest clue that the famous novel is likely to have been turned on its head. Her short-lived tenure as Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe ended over a squabble on authenticity, with her use of modern lighting and sound techniques proving too much for the board of directors.

Rice’s whimsical approach is as front and centre as ever, with no shortage of the effects that had Shakespeare purists turning their nose up, cramming in puppetry, dance and folk music to boot. But Simon Baker and Jai Morjaria’s work, on sound and video, and lighting respectively, successfully evoke the wild isolation of the moors, complementing the minimalistic yet effective set and costume design from Vicki Mortimer and engaging choreography from Etta Murfitt.

There’s a sense of precision to it all that allows our ensemble cast to bring Rice’s adaptation to wonderful, vivid and surprisingly comedic life.

Cathy and Heathcliff are in the magnificent, expert hands of Lucy McCormick and Liam Tamne. McCormick is almost never offstage, constantly crackling like a firework full of ferocious emotion.

Tamne is as brooding as one would long for, artfully taking us through Heathcliffe’s consumption by, and descent into, hatred and cruelty towards most, whilst retaining undying love for his beloved Cathy. His Indian subcontinent accent retains the notes of anti-colonialism that underpinned the West End version through previous Heathcliff, Sam Archer’s, Jamaican twang.

Both are excellent in the bursts of song they are given, (no – not that one) with Cathy’s heavy metal (yes you read that right) ‘I am the earth’ number being a literal mic-drop moment.

They are superbly supported by a multi-role ensemble with most notable performances from Nandi Bhebhe as the Leader of a personified, ‘Greek chorus’ moor and Katy Owen as Isabella Linton in part one, and her son, Little Linton – who looks like Pinocchio and sounds like Joe Pasquale – in part two.

Bhebhe is enjoyably dry and arch as her troupe follow the fortunes of the moor’s visitors, and Owen is the stand-out source of much of tonight’s hilarity, running full pelt into every opportunity for a laugh via memorable physical comedy and killer one-liners.  

With supporting musicians that looks like escapees from Mumford and Sons, nods to spoof shows like ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ or ‘The 39 Steps’, and occasional language that would make Brontë blush, Rice and her gang have thrown the kitchen sink, cupboards, and fridge-freezer at the show. And you will not be able to stop watching.

Despite running at well over two and a half hours, the pace doesn’t drag. Tragedy and comedy are well-balanced and our cast and crew work in near-perfect sync. And despite Mr Lockwood’s earlier protestations, even those not familiar with the text will follow proceedings with relative ease. It’s a compelling and visually engaging masterclass in the power of theatrical flair when telling well-loved tales. (Lou Steggals)

From Theatre Reviews North:

Emma Rice's Wuthering Heights is a strange beast. At its heart is the story line of the classic dark novel of doomed love in the Yorkshire moors, but there is also music, dance, puppetry, satire and even comedy. Yet on the whole it works well. [...]

Lucy McCormick as the adult Cathy and Liam Tamne as Heathcliff make an attractive but at times somewhat unconvincing couple. McCormick plays her role as a brash, unruly Yorkshire lass complete with broad accent. But at times, heightened passion tips over into histrionics. There is no doubt that she can sing though. 

Tamne comes into his own less as the vulnerable young outsider than as Heathcliff the successful businessman, hiding his pain beneath a harsh and cruel exterior. 

A special mention for Tama Phethean who plays both Hindley Earnshaw and then his son, Hareton Earnshaw. He plays both roles well but to the latter he brings some lightness, some understanding and above all some sympathy to someone who is really in love.  

The main comedic element of the production is brought by Katy Owen, who plays both Isabella Linton and Little Linton, her son. The physicality of this actress is impressive, but the pantomime silliness of the two roles may not be to everyone’s taste – particularly Bronte purists. 

Bronte’s original tale was told by Nelly Dean, the housekeeper. Instead here is a Greek chorus as narrator and commentator in the shape of the moor itself, led by the excellent Nani Bhebe. Against a background projection of blustery clouds, gathering black birds and stormy rain, the chorus holds the action together, weaving together disparate scenes with minimal set (some moveable scenery of doors and windows and some puzzling stacks of chairs), dancing, singing and live music.   

This is the most successful element of the production – its theatricality. (Heather Edwards)

From British Theatre Guide:

This is a long show—almost three hours—and it is uneven. There are some intense, emotional scenes, but others which are pretty static where The Leader of the Moor is filling in lengthy sections of story by describing them to Lockwood.

The setting (designer Vicki Mortimer) is a bare stage with no masking for the wings or the lighting and with most scenes created with a few chairs and some doors, the backdrop created entirely by Simon Baker's subtle but effective video designs.

There are some recognisable elements of Rice's theatre, from the puppets (puppetry director Jon Leader) and the multifunctional props and set items to the integration of music (some great and quite varied songs, composer Ian Ross) and the free, improvisational and ensemble feel, not afraid of mixing styles or throwing in the odd anachronism, plus a few recognisable faces from past Wise Children / Kneehigh shows in the multitalented cast.

But unlike some of Rice's productions that have grabbed me from the start and carried me through an intense experience right to the end, I found this adaptation of a novel from the height of Romanticism interesting with some great moments but largely uninvolving. (David Chadderton)

And from The Reviews Hub:

Director Emma Rice takes a ‘kitchen sink’ approach and stuffs a large number of ideas, most of which work like a dream, into the stylish adaptation. Vicki Mortimer’s stark set reveals the bare bones of the theatre; stacks of equipment are clearly visible in the wings; the few props have a makeshift appearance and the cast sit around the stage waiting to step forward. The rear of the stage is dominated by a massive screen upon which bleak moorland images are projected. There is a magic reality aspect to the setting – typical of the affection in which the source material is held flocks of books, rather than birds, fly around the stage.

There is a pagan tone to the production. With the exception of a full-blown rock chick power anthem from Lucy McCormick the score by Ian Ross (and performed live by Sid Goldsmith, Nadine Lee and Renell Shaw) is very much rural folk music. Nandi Bhebhe’s narrator figure serves also as a Green Man – a personification of the natural environment.

The bleak themes of the novel – that love far from being ecstasy is a painful experience and life is unfair – are reflected in the play yet there is a gleeful undertone of dark even silly humour. The difficulty of following a story in which so many characters have similar names is openly acknowledged. The opening song in act two bluntly recommends anyone seeking a romantic story should try Poldark’s Cornwall instead. The dance steps at a festive celebration are so extreme as to resemble the Ministry of Silly Walks. There is a gloriously eccentric performance from Katy Owen who enjoys sliding down the bannister as it ‘’tickles her tuppence”.

The psychological motivations behind the behaviour of the principal characters are explored in full. Lucy McCormick’s anguished Cathy is bipolar with moods swinging from a need to run wild to suddenly enjoying shallow material pleasures. Cathy’s daughter avoids her mother’s self-destructive behaviour as her obsessive need to wander is mitigated by a degree of compassion for others. The lyrics of one of the songs point out it was inevitable anyone as abused as Heathcliff would behave in an unsympathetic manner and Sam Archer certainly emphasises the character’s implacable ability to hold a grudge and seek retribution for perceived wrongs. But although their behaviour may be explained the play does not excuse the excesses of Cathy and Heathcliff who act more like demons than wild children selfishly tormenting anyone who does not confirm to their worldview.

A degree of indulgence creeps in during the second act; the gag about struggling to understand the plot is repeated and the absence of the tormented Cathy has an impact. Wuthering Heights remains, however, an imaginative and refreshingly funny version of a classic novel. (Dave Cunningham)

DC Metro Theatre Arts features another play: Die, Mr. Darcy, Die!

This linear narrative is interspersed with fantasy sequences in which Laura imagines herself interacting with the “real” Mr. Darcy as well as Jane Austen and other notable female writers.

The fantasy sequences inject colorful pops of humor into the show. My favorite is the character of Louisa May Alcott (played with hilarious sniffly dourness by Cristen Stephansky) who complains her way through a talk show panel chaired by Charlotte Brontë, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf. (Nicole Hertvik)

In The Spectator, Lucasta Miller reviews I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour.

Jean Rhys, who died at the age of 88 in 1979, lived to be forgotten and rediscovered. Like many readers, I first came across her through her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, which imagines the pre-history of Jane Eyre’s ‘madwoman in the attic’, the Creole heiress married off to Mr Rochester and then incarcerated by him at Thornfield Hall. When it came out to great acclaim in 1966, it marked the rebirth of a writer who hadn’t published a book for more than a quarter of a century and who had even been presumed dead.

Infobae (Argentina) interviews writer Mariana Enríquez.

“En mi proceso de escritura, una de las cosas que más me costó fue encontrar una voz de narradora mujer. Tuve que aprender como si tuviera que escribir como un “narrador planta”. Cuando estaba escribiendo Nuestra parte de la noche, yo estaba con esos varones a full, aunque en una masculinidad herida. Y construir la voz era decir a quién leo. Para mí leer a las hermanas Brontë fue como decir “ah, acá está” esa voz. La voz sobre todo de Emily, son mujeres reales porque no son convencionales dentro del universo literario. Se parecen mucho más a las mujeres que las mujeres de la literatura. Cumbres borrascosas tiene una escena de sexo y muerte impresionante... Ahí yo encontré eso, son locas, son intensas, se parecen a mi mamá, no son mujeres que estaba pensando pavadas. Hay algo que a mi me costaba encontrar, esa construcción del lenguaje que pudiera darle voz a esas mujeres. Y cuando resolví ese problema técnico personal dije: ah bueno, ya puedo ver a los chicos ahora". (Silvana Boschi) (Translation)

Also in Tiempo Argentino:

Una de las cosas que más le costó a lo largo de su carrera fue encontrar una voz de narradora mujer, y en ese sentido, las hermanas Brontë fueron fundamentales, aprendió de ellas. “La voz, sobre todo en el caso de Emily Brontë, es la de mujeres no convencionales dentro de lo literario. Jane o Catherine se parecen mucho más a las mujeres que las mujeres de la literatura. Son locas, son intensas, se parecen a mi mamá, se parecen a mí, se parecen a mis amigas, no se parecen a esas mujeres que están pensando pavadas. Ahí yo encontré eso que después también encontré en otros escritores y escritoras. A mí me costaba encontrar esa construcción del lenguaje que pudiera darle voz a esas mujeres que podrían ser amigas mías. Y ahora que la encontré, la dejé (risas)”. (Martina Delgado) (Translation)

The List recommends watching Wuthering Heights 2009 if you liked Bridgerton.

Wuthering Heights (2009)

"Wuthering Heights" isn't exactly a light-hearted romance in the vein of "Bridgerton," but it certainly features the burning passion of the show's second season. "Wuthering Heights," based on the novel by Emily Brontë, tells the doomed love story of Catherine and Heathcliff as it plays out on the wild moors of England. We recommend starting with the 2009 version starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley.

According to Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, his character was largely based on the romantic lead in "Wuthering Heights" — and not always in a good way. "It's interesting to get behind these Heathcliff and Darcy characters and explore why romantic male figures are so harsh and toxic towards women," the actor told Radio Times. So, if you're in the mood for a tragic love story with a brooding romantic lead that reminds you a little of Anthony, look no further than "Wuthering Heights." (Meg Walters)

Dazed discusses inter-class relationships.

Class difference is presented as a sizeable obstacle that lovers must overcome in 19th-century novels like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, so initially, it might sound anachronistic to suggest that it’s something that can affect your relationships in 2022. But is this really the case? Evidence suggests not. (Serena Smith)

And now for our grand finale. This from StarsInsider could be a blunder, a  bad-taste joke or just sheer stupidity. A click-bait-like list of 'historical figures' who were 'incredibly hot' includes

Charlotte Brontë -

The English novelist and poet, who was also the eldest of the famed Brontë sisters, was definitely a stunner.