Jane Eyre

Overview

There’s a lot I love about literary classics. The language, the traditions, and yes, the adaptations. District 01 in Darlinghurst is home to the Sydney debut premiere season of Polly Teale’s adaptation of Jane Eyre,, with a talented young cast under the direction of NIDA graduate Fiona Pulford.

There are a lot of things that the crew got right about this production, and only a few that didn’t sit quite as neatly. The story, if you don’t know it, is of course about love. Jane Eyre, an outspoken and hard-skinned orphan, lives with her spiteful aunt. From here, she moves on to boarding school, then becoming a governess  in Thornfield Hall, owned by the one and only Mr Rochester. Charlotte Bronte’s literary classic is held dearly by most, and Fukunaga’s 2011 film adaptation satisfied many.

Teale’s adaptation takes a different angle on the original, and whether it holistically pleased me I’m not quite sure. For one thing, Jane has an embodied subconscious onstage who, confusingly enough, is played by Coralie Bywater who also plays Rochester’s lunatic wife. A strange device that seemed to confuse a couple of audience members throughout. Another device that didn’t quite sit well with me was transforming Ryan Gibson, who played multiple characters very well, into Rochester’s dog. Some laughed at its frivolity, while others furrowed their brow at its inconsistency with the rest of the piece. I was a bit of both, but felt it sort of cheapened an overall great production.

The costumes were great, the hair was wonderful, each performer was strong and consistent: whether they played one role or five. Laura Huxley, as Jane Eyre was beautiful, and her chemistry with Eli King as Mr Rochester was palpable at times. Shame about the space’s sight lines, however, with their first kiss being hidden behind a pole from where I was sitting. The space is great though; stark white, with minimalist props.

Cheryl Ward as Bessie was a great choice, it was almost as if she walked out of a period ABC series. Tallay Wickham as Adele was sweet, if not distracting at times with the almost-there French accent. Coralie Bywater was strong but sometimes her screaming was a teeny tiny bit too shrill for the space. And finally Beth Aubrey as Bertha and Lady Ingram was great.

At times it felt a tad bit slow, and the running time seemed a bit long, but overall it's a wonderful independent production that injects Bronte’s work with fervour and heart.A classic tale, a modern twist and a strong cast – Polly Teale’s Jane Eyre brought together by Pulford is a compelling production.