But for all its harshness as a story, this play is suffused with love. Rice’s production is frequently funny and tender, letting Lockwood and Little Linton (Rebecca Collingwood) play up their sensitive social graces to the point of absurdity. The chorus adds little touches of delight to remind us that life offers more than pain, fluttering birds across the stage by holding books on sticks, indulging in a little puppetry to show us the smallness of children, and turning the wuthering winds into jump ropes for the characters to play with and revel in. This levity is added in liberally and generously; we fall in love when we share joy together, and as an audience we must fall in love with this story too.
Hockley’s Catherine is bursting with love she cannot express and we feel it in our guts; this production places high value on movement (from choreographer Etta Murfitt) and when she and Heathcliff approach each other, you see and feel her become more alive the closer they get. And when the next generation of lovers find some hard-won happiness against all odds, the moors offer it to us with a literal blue sky. The moors are rewarding the behaviours they want to see from the people who live on their land: forgiveness, closeness, connection, care. And we should know better than to ignore the cries of country.
Slowly, amid the pain, drenched in a persistent search for love, it becomes clear that Rice is offering us an urgent missive wrapped up in Brontë’s social gothic. Heed her voice of the moors: if we reach for each other across differences and divides, if we choose love over old hatreds and fears, we all become less haunted. (Cassie Tongue)
This production creatively uses music and dance to evoke the sense of tragedy, and romanticism of the moors. The chorus ensemble become The Moors led boldly and courageously by The Leader of The Moors Nandi Bhebhe. Bhebhe embodies this difficult role exquisitely, leading the chorus and serving as a guardian for the other characters. Bhebhe’s voice is ethereal and powerful, perfect for evoking the mystery and awe of nature. Amongst a very strong ensemble, Bhebhe’s performance is a sure stand-out. Stephanie Hockley is fully committed as wild, tortured Catherine with an angelic voice perfectly suited to the folk/rock style of the songs. She is sadly under-utilised in the second act as she sits around the edges of the stage and her presence is not really felt although Heathcliff states she is haunting him constantly throughout. John Leader is stoic and tragic as Heathcliff, portraying a transformation of character that takes place over the course of decades of abuse and brutality. Leader navigates this expertly, changing before the audience’s eyes from a boy who is a hopeful outsider to an isolated, numb, vicious figure by the end of the show. There is a lot of emphasis on character building but not a lot on Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship. The show is somewhat obsessed with explaining itself, meaning the audience does not get the opportunity to get swept up and lost in the world of the tragic story.
TJ Holmes as Dr Kenneth is a constant bright spark in the production, with just the right amount of pep in his step to provide much welcome lighter moments throughout the heavy runtime. Matthew Churcher does a fine job with the challenging roles of Hindley Earnshaw and Hareton Earnshaw. Rebecca Collingwood flexes impressive physical comedy as both Isabelle Linton and her son “Little” Linton Heathcliff. Sam Archer is appropriately awkward and funny as Edgar Linton and Lockwood. Robyn Sinclair plays Frances and Young Cathy and imbues Young Cathy with a beautiful wild, curious, innocent spirit and has a lovely solo moment where her angelic voice soars. It seems a real waste that she does not have more solos throughout the show. Tom Fox is endearing as Mr Earnshaw, who treats young Heathcliff with kindness.
There is a lot to admire about this ambitious production including many exquisitely executed technical elements. However it may be a case of too much spectacle muddling the moving story at the core of the novel. The show does not leave much of an emotional impact which is disappointing and surprising considering the depths and extremes of human feeling and behaviour explored in the source material. Despite not hitting the emotional peaks expected, Wuthering Heights should be commended for its imaginative take on a classic and for boldly trying so many new things. (Michelle Sutton)
One unassuming village just outside of Braintree was the home of a man who later became the father of three girls who left a lasting legacy on literature, film, and music. Until recently, the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence Police, Wethersfield is a village with only a small selection of facilities.
In 1807, one man began his curacy in Wethersfield, training to be a priest at St Mary Magdalene and St Mary the Virgin church. Patrick Brunty, an aspiring Revere[n]d, and poet is rumoured to have fallen in love with a lady named Mary Burder while living in Wethersfield. If the pair had married, it would have changed the course of literature in the 19th Century.
It was after a disagreement with her father, and tension between the men that Patrick moved north, writing poetry and meeting the mother of his four surviving children. Before moving to Wethersfield, Patrick had changed his surname to Brontë.
Father of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, Reverend Patrick may not have met their mother, Maria, had he chosen to stay in Wethersfield with his first love. The three women outshone their elder brother Branwell, who suffered with addiction, and wrote well known stories that have inspired films, songs, and stories. Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, and Emily’s Wuthering Heights remain their most notable classics.
The village of Wethersfield became one of The Hundred Parishes, an area which is recognised informally as a place of cultural and historical significance. Near to the River Pant, the village remains small with one church, a post office, school, social club and a fire station. (Laura Fidler)
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