REVIEW: Northern Ballet’s Jane Eyre – ‘a story-telling tour de force’
| 8th June 2018
Adapting a literary masterpiece for dance is an exercise many have failed at, but Northern Ballet and choreographer Cathy Marston, with Jane Eyre, successfully rise to the challenge in a story-telling tour de force.
The ballet, faithful to Charlotte Brontë’s novel, tells the story of Jane, from her difficult youth as an orphan, to her emotional awakening and her passionate love story with Mr Rochester. Shown from Jane’s point of view, the piece has a very intimate atmosphere throughout, with only around twenty dancers of the 46-strong company involved in this small-scale – yet compelling – production.
The set and costumes are simple but evocative: grey and brown shades suggest the moorlands and the cloudy skies of the North, but also translate Jane’s state of mind, as the lack of bright colours matches the sadness and restrictions in her life; the rough cotton of her dress shows her social status as well as the strength of her character.
Jane and her cousins. Photo Emma Kauldhar
The first part of the ballet shows young Jane (Ayami Miyata) being abused by her cousins and sent to an orphanage following the death of her parents. Jane is sparky and strong minded, standing up for herself in energetic movements and jumps, while the orphans execute ever-repeated routines and mechanical hand gestures under the watch of their pitiless headmaster (Sean Bates).
In the following scene Jane has grown into a young woman (Abigail Prudames), and soon she is joining the household of Edward Rochester (Mlindi Kulashe) to teach his ward Adele Varens. Jane is all introverted and held back, and she seems to have buried the rebellious teenager she once was. Prudames embodies her modesty and shyness well, and the choreography is clever in showing how she restrains her growing feelings towards Rochester. Her body is shown in constant conflict, as if the freedom of her movements was impeded by her principles. She often stands very straight, with her hand in front of her stomach, palm flat towards the floor, as if she was pushing down her emotions and not letting them reach the surface.
Hannah Bateman as Jane and Joseph Taylor as Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre. Photo Emma Kauldhar
Mlindi Kulashe as Rochester is mysterious and blasé at first, but openly passionate and caring when he reveals his love for Jane. He demonstrates his partnering virtuosity in beautiful duets, with bold and effortless lifts. He is heart-breaking in the last scene, as his mad wife (the fierce Hannah Bateman) has set fire to his house and left him blind before killing herself. The way in which he goes from despair to hope when Jane comes back is especially moving. Prudames remains a little too cautious when expressing her affection towards Rochester, and one would expect her to let go a bit more by the end of the piece.
In supporting roles, Antoinette Brooks-Daw as Adele Varens demonstrates a refreshing vitality, perfect as a flash of lightness and innocence to counterpoint Jane’s austerity. Gavin McCaig is convincing as aspiring missionary Reverend St. John Rivers, subtle in the way in which he is both firm in his intentions and respectful of Jane’s decision not to follow him.
Joseph Taylor as Mr Rochester and Hannah Bateman as Jane in Jane Eyre. Photo Emma Kauldhar
The strength of this piece rests in the way in which the choreography serves the narration, and not the opposite. No step is taken if it does not say something about the story, the characters or their relationships. If the style is rooted in classical ballet, with many of the female dancers in pointe shoes, it is stripped back, excluding anything superfluous that would distract the spectator from the action – there is no decorative dancing here.
This approach suits the dancers of Northern Ballet, who are gifted with notable acting talents and are used to full-length narrative pieces. Their collaboration with Cathy Marston is a success and is very promising for their next partnership to come: Victoria, a new production, is due to tour in 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U9cFXSyazA
Northern Ballet are preforming Jane Eyre at the Lowry until Saturday 9 June.
For more information and tickets, visit the Lowry website.