'It’s an incredible romance. It’s a true epic. It’s visually beautiful. The script is beautiful. The costumes are incredible'

Deadline reports what Jacob Elordi recently said about Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights.

Jacob Elordi is looking forward to audiences seeing what may be one of his most highly anticipated roles yet.

The actor, who is set to star as romantic antihero Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell‘s upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, gave Deadline a production update while speaking about his Amazon series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, revealing that filming had “just recently” wrapped.

He also expressed his reverence for Fennell’s take and sung the praises of his co-star Margot Robbie, who leads as Catherine Earnshaw, as well as the rest of the cast that also includes Hong Chau, Alison Oliver and Shazad Latif.

“The performances from everyone — it’s breathtaking,” he said. “It’s an incredible romance. It’s a true epic. It’s visually beautiful. The script is beautiful. The costumes are incredible.” (Katie Campione)

Fangirlish highlights what some fans are saying on X.

British Theatre Guide reviews Northern Ballet's Jane Eyre as seen at Sheffield Lyceum.

The ballet Jane Eyre was created by choreographer and director Cathy Marston nine years ago and has been frequently revived since then.

Marston comments on the suitability of Brontë's novel for "translation into dance" because of "the intense emotional journeys of the protagonists, the background of landscape and elemental forces that seem to amplify these emotions... and the range of wonderful soloist roles that add texture, depth and warmth to the central narrative".

Bronte's 19th century novel is a dramatic melodrama with a happy ending and remarkably perceptive analysis of her heroine's experience and emotional range, which includes anger, fear, frustration, grief and horror as well as joy, love and loss. The complexity of the novel provides quite a challenge for the choreographer, composer and individual performers. The early childhood scenes reveal John Reed's aimless cruelty to Jane, convincingly conveyed by Archie Sherman's aggressive dancing, while Aunt Reed's deeper repressed cruelty is harder to identify.

The ballet, like the novel, includes scenes of deep emotion, not least the death of Helen in Lowood School but more subtly Jane's anguished suppression of her growing love for Rochester when it appears that he is planning to marry the pretty socialite Blanche. Pas de deux between Amber Lewis as Jane and Miguel Teixeira as Rochester are increasingly emotive as the action continues and culminate in a passionate reconciliation.

George Liang as St John Rivers, who rescues Jane after her flight from Rochester, has an interesting choreographic sequence in which he clearly indicates that his devotion is to his missionary calling, not love for Jane. This is performed with perfect clarity. Another interesting and very clear performance is by Harriet Marden as Mrs Fairfax, who provides moments of comedy in the role until she realises that Rochester is about to enter a bigamous marriage with Jane.

In the novel, Brontë maintains the mystery of the frightening laugh in the attic room and the attempt to burn Rochester in his bed. Marston adapts the ending so that Bertha Mason, Rochester's mad wife, is much more visible towards the end and responsible for revealing the proposed bigamy.

Marston also introduces a large group of male dancers called the D-Men who "represent what 'Men' are to Jane. In general men hold her back, push her down, block her path and intimidate her". This gives rise to dynamic group dance sequences in which Jane is challenged and threatened. Some women are just as cruel.

Marston has also been credited for direction and scenario. Patterns on the curtains and back set are reminiscent of the hills and fields around Haworth Parsonage. The burning of the bed and the destruction of Thornfield Hall are accompanied by colourful lighting effects which add credibility to the scene.

A lovely evening in the theatre for ballet enthusiasts. It might be worth rereading Jane Eyre as a reminder of character and significant events. (Velda Harris)

On Yorkshire Magazine reviews it, too.

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte’s arguably finest novel, adds up to nearly 200,000 words. Northern Ballet’s adaptation (first staged to much acclaim in 2016) distils it into two hours. Two hours of mesmerising movement, absorbing music and virtuoso voiceless storytelling. The odd scene may be lost – Rochester’s accident with his horse, for instance, when he literally falls at Jane’s feet – but none of the emotional resonance.

The ballet begins almost at the end of the book, when upright clergyman St John Rivers (George Liang) discovers a bedraggled Jane unconscious on the bleak, wild moors. Ironically (or not), there’s more than a hint of Wuthering Heights about Patrick Kinmouth’s pared-back set, with its bracken-brown and sky-grey plaid colours, gauzy curtain and muted costumes.

Cathy Marston’s choreography is impeccable, evoking the narrative with light brush strokes as well as bigger, bolder movements. Every move and gesture let the story unfold as Jane journeys from rejected orphan through miserable schooling to her arrival at Thornfield Hall as governess to Mr Rochester’s ward Adele (engagingly performed by Rachael Gillespie), and her subsequent relationship with her employer.

At certain key points, our heroine is surrounded by a corps de ballet of male dancers representing both her inner demons and the men who’ve tried to crush her throughout her life. Amber Lewis’s Jane is wonderfully fluent and expressive. When Helen – the one friend she makes at Lowood School – dies (a beautifully sensitive performance by Sena Kitano), you feel her sorrow. As a new young teacher, her face lights up as she watches her pupils. And when Rochester taunts her by dancing with the wealthy Blanche (Kaho Masumoto), she smiles bravely throughout.

At other points, she rages rebelliously against injustice and unkindness. You’re never in any doubt about her strength even when she’s at her most put-upon, bullied by her cousins, sent away to the harsh Lowood School, growing in maturity from downtrodden girl to independently-minded young woman sure of her own inner worth and of her equal status to her employer.

As Rochester, Miguel Teixeira is a perfect match: initially arrogant, brooding and impatient, always restless, ultimately vulnerable. Their relationship is electric, their longing and love for each other played out with barely concealed passion. Their final tender pas de deux is very moving. After the house fire that has blinded him, the eyes that have constantly looked into Jane’s are now sightless, his once penetrating gaze now empty.

Throughout, the dancing is flawless. And there’s minute attention to detail – Blanche’s disdainful little giggles and kicks aimed at Jane, Jane’s own more playful kick at Mr Rochester, his sharply outstretched leg acting as the bar of a cage, the vulnerable cupping of a head. But there’s also a great sweeping and soaring of bodies, limbs both superhumanly agile and constantly graceful.

In other roles, Harriet Marden is a comical, kindly housekeeper, all fussy, bustling, jigging gestures and footsteps. Helen Bogatch’s wild-haired Bertha, ‘the madwoman in the attic’ (and Rochester’s secret wife), is a whirling dervish in a ragged fire-red dress, kicking, scratching and leering as she attacks her captor husband. The scene where she torches the hall is masterfully done – searing orange light, thick smoke and frenzied shadow dancing (a reprise of the earlier scene where she set fire to Rochester’s bed).

An extra delight is the presence of the Northern Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Daniel Parkinson and playing music by Philip Feeney that reflects every mood. All told, this is dance drama at its finest, both powerful and affecting/absorbing. (Clare Jenkins)

The Reviews Hub gives it 4 stars out of 5.

Unusually, this adaptation begins with a plot point that comes later in the story, with Jane being discovered by St John. She is running through the woods, obstructed by male dancers who attempt to manipulate or deflect her. This group of dancers, referred to as the D-Men, are a recurrent motif, used to represent the many male characters who attempt to control Jane. She then begins her tale, starting with her being sent to live with her cold Aunt, Mrs Reed. She and her children spurn Jane, and after Jane fights off her older cousin, she is sent away to Lowood Institution. Jane encounters her first true friendship with Helen Burns, a fellow orphan. After Helen dies of consumption, Jane is heartbroken and continues her journey, eventually becoming a governess and leaving Lowood for Thornfield, the home of Mr Rochester. She and Rochester fall in love, and Jane seems to have finally found her home. However, there are secrets lurking in the walls of Thornfield, and a fiery truth must come out.

Amber Lewis dances the titular role, and Alessandra Bramante dances the younger Jane, allowing for moments where Jane watches her past unfold. This is one of the many ways that Marston has brought the novel’s introspection into a ballet adaptation. Bramante beautifully captures the young Jane’s inner frustrations and her need to burst free. Lewis is more measured but shows the strength Jane still contains. Harriet Marden had a fizzing energy as Mrs Fairfax. Her bright courus brought humour and a welcome change in tempo. Rachael Gillespie had a true charm as the young Adele. Marston’s choreography becomes a blend of ballet and contemporary dance at times, with movements that are angular and aggressive. This wonderfully suits the tone of the novel and indeed, Jane’s inner conflict. Miguel Teixeira dances the role of Mr Rochester, and the union of him and Lewis is perfectly poised. Their pas de deux contains more symmetry than is seen in more classical ballet, and moments where it is Jane who supports Rochester are tender and powerful.

The staging is simple with backdrops and flats that are brutal, grey, and striking. Set and costume designer Patrick Kinmonth has managed to create a world that is insular yet expansive as scenery flats move in, changing the depth of the stage, yet the oppressive grey stands like a piece of modern art.

It is a large leap to take a novel and adapt it into an art form without language, but Marston and the company have found the universal language of their characters and communicate effortlessly this classic story of love and inner strength. A beautiful telling of a wonderful story. (Charlotte Broadbent)

Armenian Weekly interviews writer Carolyne Topdjian.

Anouche Agnerian (A.A.): Can you walk us through your process for developing a gothic horror story? Do you start with a concept, a character or a setting?

Carolyne Topdjian (C.T.): A strong sense of place is integral to gothic storytelling. Think of The Fall of the House of Usher, Rebecca or Jane Eyre, or more recently, White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi. For me, some of the most memorable gothics treat setting as a richly layered character. For the Mave Michael series, I conceptualized Château du Ciel as a living, breathing creature in its own right. I’d like to think the Château has an inner and outer voice conveyed through mood, history and visuals. Once the hotel materialized as my foundation, my gothic heroine, Mave Michael Francis, walked onto my “set,” and the plot’s treacheries developed from there.

Cadena Ser (Spain) features a new video podcast, Esta noche libro, by film director and writer Javier Ambrossi, in which he and others discussed Jane Eyre.

El primer episodio está dedicado a Jane Eyre, la emblemática novela de Charlotte Brontë. A través de este clásico del siglo XIX, Ambrossi reflexiona sobre la fuerza, la independencia y el feminismo encarnado en la protagonista, conectando el texto con su propia vida y carrera.

No es casualidad que esta obra haya influido en La Mesías, una de sus producciones más personales. "Charlotte Brontë es una de las semillas de La Mesías. Javi Calvo tiene muchas referencias cinematográficas y yo tenía complejo porque sentía que me faltaba en ese aspecto, pero mis referencias literarias son fundamentales. Sin Jane Eyre no hubiera podido escribir La Mesías", ha afirmado Ambrossi sobre sus referencias literarias. (Álvaro García-Dotor) (Translation)

And another article on the podcast here:

Charlotte Brontë publicó ‘Jane Eyre’ en 1847 y bajo el pseudónimo masculino de Currel Bell. En plena época victoriana, la escritura estaba solo reservada a los hombres y Charlotte tuvo que optar por firmar con otro nombre para poder escribir. La novela cuenta la historia de la dura infancia de la protagonista, una niña huérfana, y su complicada relación con el señor Rochester. Fue un éxito incontestable en Inglaterra, pero pocos sabían quién era la verdadera autora. Cuando una editorial de Nueva York se intentó aprovechar de su triunfo, se vio obligada a revelar su verdadera identidad.

‘Jane Eyre’ es la novela que inaugura ‘Esta noche libro’, el nuevo videopodcast quincenal sobre libros de Javier Ambrossi. [...]

Para Javier Ambrossi, Jane Eyre es una obra que ha marcado su vida: “Jane habla de la necesidad de encontrar un lugar al que pertenecer y dar sentido a una voz propia, algo completamente universal y para nada reservado a las niñas huérfanas, al menos yo me siento bastante identificado”. [...]

A lo largo del episodio, Javier Ambrossi, Alana S. Portero, María Barrier, Carmen Aumedes y Clara Galle reflexionan sobre la venganza, el bullying, la identidad, las relaciones de sumisión y abuso o el amor romántico, los temas de la novela de Charlotte Brontë. (Translation)