Have a Very Feminist 2016!
Blog Review of The National Theatre's production of Jane Eyre directed by Sally Cookson
I was so excited to finally see this reputedly fiery and apparently obviously feminist production! The nineteenth-century stage adaptations of Jane Eyre are the main subject of the first chapter of my thesis, so I was ready to get all up in Sally Cookson's grill in a nice, middle-class, purely academic way of course. But in all honesty, it wasn't as ragingly feminist as I was expecting it to have been. From reading the reviews in the papers I was expecting to be hit in the face with Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch, and whilst there wasn't as much fire as I was expecting, that isn't to say that this isn't a feminist production of Jane Eyre.
Obviously, the germinal feminist elements of the original novel remain in Cookson's production and the minimalist, bare set with its carpenter's workshop-esque set highlight them by allowing plenty of visual room. It is a brilliantly effective construction designed by Michael Vale. The play opens with Jane Eyre coming into the world breathing her first breath and crying out for her parents. Whilst this happens one by one her parents and then her uncle die leaving her with her cold, uncaring and jealous aunt.
Sally Cookson has commented on her approach that any telling of Jane's story should begin with Jane's childhood and in the case of Jane Eyre this works well with the plot as it's often called a Bildungsroman. This is the German for a story which charts the maturation and moral and psychological growth of a character. Charlotte Bronte's Jane, like Cookson's, spends her life fighting her voice and the right to live her own life on her own terms.
The production started as a two-parter over two consecutive evenings at the Bristol Old Vic in 2014 and due to its success the National Theatre approached the company about bringing the play to London. The success continued in London as the reviews have shown and this is due to the strength of the cast. Bertha Mason (played by Melanie Marshall) has an amazingly rich mezzo voice that soars through the performance intensifying the high emotion. She is present throughout the production as a magnificent crimson-silk clad premonition.
Jane played by Madeleine Worrall is impressively rounded capturing Jane's appearance as a timid mouse-like delicate bird woman as well as her very vocal desire for equality and love. Felix Hayes as Rochester is domineering, aggressive, brusque and powerful. Particularly in the scene after Jane has found out about Bertha's existence when she is telling Rochester that she has to leave, Hayes manages to reach a great surge of violence. Critics have viewed this scene as an attempted rape as Rochester physically restrains Jane preventing her from leaving Thornfield. This frenzy of emotion isn't managed to this level which is unfortunate as it would have intensified the feminist approach to this classic photo-feminist novel. However this is an example of the way, for me, that Cookson's Jane Eyre could have gone further in their 'feminist production'.
This is definitely a production with plenty of mileage and the run is just too short! More people should be given the chance to see this extremely thought-provoking production! And what's more, it's a great way to see in 2016!
May your 2016 be one of equality and love!
