Grab your petticoats, muslin and bonnets, and come witness this new production of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Directed by Ali Bendall, Jane Eyre is the final production in the Genesian Theatre on Kent St as the theatre is set to relocate to an old school hall in Rozelle.
Brontë’s gothic drama not only matched the theatre space but was rewarded by the fact that set designers Ali Bendall and Tom Fahy made full use of the Genesian Theatre. The stained glass windows on the back wall became part of the set and were not covered up. Coupled with trap doors and creaking staircases, the atmosphere felt spiritual when the church bells rang within the play, as did the red lighting and suspenseful sound design by Michael Schell and Cian Byrne.
From the early scenes, we are immediately exposed to Jane’s difficult childhood as she lives as a “dependent” with Aunt Reed (Roslyn Hicks) and her family, who mistreat and bully her. When she is sent to be educated at Lowood School, she becomes one of many victims of a warped interpretation of Christianity where to “punish her body, [is] to save her soul”.
The episodic structure of the first act was a necessity considering the length of the novel, however it was disappointing to see Jane Eyre (Kyra Belford-Thomas) only on stage with early confidantes like Bessie (Karys Kennedy) and Helen (Laura Edwards) for a couple scenes. Quiet scenes like Bessie letting Jane out of the ‘red room’ early, or Helen sharing her book, were rare moments of bliss for a character in such rigid domestic and school settings. Jane being forced away from everything she knows so often is an apt microcosm for how women experienced social mobility in the 19th-century.
While filled with suspense, the second act was rushed in an attempt to get to the final resolution. When Jane returns to visit Aunt Reed on her deathbed, there is noticeably less closure and emotion than the book where it is a crucial turning point for Jane’s character development. She is able to forgive her for her abusive childhood but also stands up for herself and speaks her mind without any restraint.
The second act may have additionally benefited from cutting the St. John plotline as it held up Jane’s return to Thornfield Hall, and was not translated in all its complexity in its short stagetime.
Despite being a plot twist in the book, the depiction of “madwoman” Bertha Mason (Rhiannon Jean) should have been further questioned given that Jane Eyre is being adapted in the context of a more nuanced understanding of mental illness and substance abuse. This would have been an opportunity to address the criticism for Mr Rochester’s character, having locked up his wife while in a fragile state and hidden the truth from Jane until he is exposed on their wedding day.
Julia Grace, as Mr Rochester’s ward, Adèle, proved to be the scene-stealer of the show, injecting humour and a free spiritedness in a welcome reprieve from the constant loss.
Belford-Thomas’s task as Jane was challenging. The production quickly moves through Jane’s younger years leaving little room for a clear arc to emerge. Belford-Thomas’ performance was precocious and charming but lacked development, leaving Jane at 10 and 19 difficult to distinguish. In the moments, where Jane should have spoken up, she was silent and vice versa.
This is furthered by fourth wall breaks where Jane addresses the audience more frequently than the characters in the scene in a commentary-style. Despite this being a way to include the “dear reader” passages from the book, it made it seem like events were happening around Jane rather than her directly participating in them.
Vincent Andriano as Mr Rochester incorporates small ticks that are well-thought out and consistent, making him a three-dimensional character that is very likeable and funny. His quips like, “a true Jane-ian reply” and “you are from the otherworld”, were heartwarming touches and stark comparisons to how her Aunt and cousins had treated her.
With regards to the relationship between Jane and Mr Rochester, of note is the considerable age-gap and the positionality of Mr Rochester being Jane’s employer that plagues any adaptation of Jane Eyre. In this version, these concerns were only drawn to attention when Mr Rochester mockingly refers to Jane as “little”, and when other characters say he is old enough to be her father.
Once you look past this, their ‘meet-cute’ (when Mr Rochester is on his horse) very much preserved the silent (or silenced) tension from the book. However, the manner in which the rest of the relationship between Jane and Mr Rochester unfolds suffers as a result of Jane’s attraction being less convincing compared to Mr Rochester, who does the heavy lifting in that regard.
As Brontë ascribed to the story, the importance of religion was foreshadowed and clear to the audience long before Jane left Mr Rochester. Similarly, the repetitive and didactic old school ritual of repeating French, conjugating Latin, and singing hymns is a motif across the play reinforced by Susan Carveth and Ali Bendall’s great costuming that a modern audience may link to The Handmaid’s Tale. The use of public shame is emphasised both verbally and in the highly believable physical choreography.
In an intentional casting choice, Jane’s abusive schoolmaster Mr Brocklehust and Jane’s missionary suiter are both played by Neilson Brown. He becomes a stand-in for an emotionally distant Protestant judge who Jane can never quite escape, even as she moves between homes. This pressure on Jane may justify the director’s choice to give her more confidence early on. Belford-Thomas keeps Jane strong willed till the end but her resistance takes on a sense of piety that has been drilled in consciously or otherwise.
By and by, this adaptation of Jane Eyre was a fitting last performance, destined to make you want to revisit the 591 page novel. The production was a window into a world where even the smallest transgressions feel out of place.
Jane Eyre is playing at the Genesian Theatre until November 10.
