Written and Directed by Jennifer Dick
Adapted from the novel by Charlotte Bronte
Shifting from the ‘grim (up) north’ to the bristle and howl of the Scottish Highlands (via the Glasgow botanic gardens), Jennifer Dick’s new version of Bronte’s genre-defining and eyebrow-raising novel firmly roots itself in the grit and gravel of its surroundings, as young orphan Jane is passed from home to school to manor as they collect the experiences, illustrating their journey as they grew into the woman who defines a genre: Jane Eyre.
Finding itself front and centre of the Bard in the Botanics’ messaging for the season, ‘Her Infinite Variety’, Stephanie McGregor leads a solid ensemble production which translates the well-worn tale to its new surroundings, and outside of accents, is significantly unchanged in Dick’s version. It still follows Jane’s experiences with cold and cruel relatives, flung and tossed around until landing as a governess for Mr Rochester and their young ward.
McGregor’s year for Bard in the Botanics, starring in Jane Eyre and Measure by Measure later in the season, the casting is spot-on for Jane – a defiant streak amidst all the dour and glum goings on, with a determination not to allow this icy world to shake their integral core beliefs. The frequent shifts to illustrate what Jane sees before them, brilliantly spaced and staged by Dick, as the remaining cast lurch upwards to conjure trees or mountains, or hold themselves as a portrait subject, another piece of McGregor’s erudite performance.
In a brooding, ill-mannered, cut-them-and-they-bleed-red-corduroy performance, Johnny Panchaud’s Rochester is a virile match for McGregor – complimenting one another, solidifying the building connection. Even turning the lengthier monologues of Bronte’s exposition into rounded and engaging moments of characterisation and relationships – aided by the terrific, often haunting, sound design which incorporates the entire cast to provide embers, whistling winds, and the haunting laughter heard throughout Thornfield Estate.
That and Stephen Arden’s sashaying around as Rochester’s French Ward. Arden (like many in the cast) occupies multiple roles; none better than the pious and icy St John Rivers, driven to leave Scotland for India and begin their work among the ‘uncivil’. Regular Byre Panto partner-in-crime Alan Steele has their regular array of character performances armed and ready as the touching tweeded ghillie, the shifting and cruel Mr Brocklehurst, and in their usual trademark panache as Blanche Ingram’s Mother: calculating and hysterical, bringing the expected cut of wit and comedy.
Balancing the additional comedic elements, Jane Eyre’s sound design and Heather Grace Currie’s uncanny backdrops, cold and still, stoke the embers of something more haunting than audiences may expect. Tinashe Warikandwa’s welcome presence reinforces much of this depth and harsh reality as Jane’s childhood friend Bessie. While providing a few other well-defined roles keeps them a stand-out amidst the cast. As does Trish Mullin, who flips from the stern and no-nonsense Grace Poole to the antithesis of the role in Rivers’ kinder, nurturing sister.
Perhaps a touch too faithful, Dick’s incarnation of the work never pushes that ambition beyond the established expectations. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but with the additional elements of design at work here and the calibre of the ensemble giving their all, the prospect of what other avenues this Jane could have sketched out can’t help but tease the curious.
Jane Eyre seeks to conjure spectres and break shackles to offer a liberating experience, particularly for fans of the novel. In exploring its new Highlands landscape, Dick’s ‘an autobiography’ of Jane Eyre demonstrates just how different paths can be for women looking to sketch out their futures – and to remember the autonomy they have as the artist, no matter how imposing the subject may be. A solid, if straight-forward, take on Bronte, with a cut of the supernatural and a deep love for the Scottish landscape, Jane Eyre is bolstered by a strong cast and a leading role from McGregor.
A Liberating Experience
Jane Eyre, An Autobiography runs at The Botanics, Glasgow until July 6th
Running time – Two hours and thirty minutes with one interval
Photo credit – Tommy Ga-Ken Wen
Review by Dominic Corr – contact@corrblimey.uk
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League The Wee Review and Edinburgh Guide. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
