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Bertha and Edward Rochester as fire overtakes Jane Eyre's story at Thornfield. Picture: Emma Kauldhar Jane EyreNorthern Ballet
Wolverhampton Grand
****
NORTHERN Ballet has built a reputation for innovative
storytelling, often with subjects not normally associated with ballet,
or even dance for that matter, subjects such as
Jane Eyre. It is a path not without its pitfalls. Dance can
convey emotion; it can convey a simple narrative - but a full novel?
Thirty eight chapters in this case and more than 400 pages? Charlotte Brontë, born 100 years ago this year,
created a complex storyline, multi layered, with orphan Jane, fulfilling
the dying wish of her uncle by living with her Aunt Sarah and her
offspring – her abuse at their hands not being part of the plan. She is sent to a charity school where deprivation
is the order of the day, her best friend Helen dies, and then there is
Thornfield Hall where Jane becomes a governess and is wooed by Mr
Rochester, who forgets to mention he already has a loony wife in the
attic – which goes down well at the church when he tries to marry Jane. Chuck in a fervent Christian clergyman who also
wants to marry her and go off missionarying in India, a fire at
Thornfield set by the mad wife who then commits suicide, with Rochester
blinded trying to rescue her . . . and it is a heck of a lot to dance
your way through, still at least Jane and Rochester live happily ever
after. So it helps if you already know the story, or at
the very least arrive in time to read a synopsis in the progamme,
otherwise following the story, or even working out who is who will be
about as clear as the arguments for and against staying in the EU! Cathy Marston’s direction and choreography is a
mix of ballet and contemporary dance which, with familiarity with the
story, works well.
Rachel Gillespie’s young Jane is a frightened
innocent at the start, bullied by both Janes aunt, Mrs Reed, danced by
Victoria Sibson, and her three cousins. Abigail Prudame’s grown up Jane is more assured,
dancing with more authority and her final pas de deux with the now
blinded Edward Rochester, danced by Mlindi Kulash, shows both passion
and affection. Sean Bates is a suitably keen suitor as the Rev
St. John Rivers while Matthew Toplis weighs in as the less than kindly
head of Lowood School, the Rev Brocklehurst and, dancing around like a
flickering flame in a fireworks factory we have Bertha Mason, danced by
Marina Rodrigues. Patrick Kinmonth’s set is simple but clever with
a backdrop and full height sliding panels and curtains giving an
impression of the bleak Yorkshire moors and dry stone walls around
Charlotte’s home in Haworth. Minimal items of furniture, a few slide out
gravestones and the moving panels and curtains changed scenes and
atmosphere seamlessly with a full width gauze screen dropping in front
of a rear platform helping produce a dramatic fire with clever lighting
and a smoke machine. Simple, but very effective. Atmosphere was also created by Alastair West’s
lighting and Philip Feeney’s music which was compelling and hypnotic
rather than memorable. They were no melodies or symphonic sections to
savour or hum on the way home but it did fit in well, unobtrusive and
helping to generate the mood of the narrative. And the score was beautifully played by the
Northern Ballet Sinfonia under conductor Nathan Ffield, with some
particularly fine piano an cello passages. If you take the time to familiarise yourself with
the story, a coming of age tale, with a sense of right and wrong, then
this is a fine interpretation in the trailblazing tradition of the Leeds
based dance company. Roger Clarke 11-06-16 Check out the rest of the tour dates with ballets
including 1984 and Swan lake at
https://northernballet.com/
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