Wuthering Heights At Royal And Derngate, Northampton Review
TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Janine Rumble
Wuthering Heights, the classic book by Emily Bronte, is retold by Inspector Sands and is a China Plate, Inspector Sands, Royal & Derngate Northampton and Oxford Playhouse co-production.
‘Channelling Emily Brontë’s piercing wit and fierce emotion, Inspector Sands presents a retelling of this classic story of obsessive love and revenge in their boldly humorous and humane style. Their thrilling new version draws out themes of intergenerational trauma, and the dangerous impact of social exclusion…confronting us all with urgent questions for our own times.’
Told through the eyes and memories of housekeeper Nelly, alone in her kitchen during a long night of the soul, haunted by the story.’
The tale of Wuthering Heights is told by the housekeeper Nelly, played by the amazingly talented Giulia Innocenti. How she was able to remember all those lines and perform such emotionally night after night is amazing. A truly outstanding performance. Nelly tells the story of the family that she worked for and all of their trials and tribulations throughout a number of years.
John Askew plays Hindley and Hareton, the changes his characters go through are so well portrayed by him. Lua Bairstow plays Catherine, her portrayal gives us a bird’s eye view into the madness into which she descends. Ike Bennett plays the mean and menacing Heathcliff, in such a way that you can’t help to hate him and be willing the other characters to outwit him. Leander Deeny plays Earnshaw, Edgar and Linton, wow, what an amazing actor. How he jumps from one character to another in a split second and be so believable in all of those roles was just amazing to witness. His characters death scenes were also something to behold.
Nicole Sawyerr plays Isabella, Frances and the young Cathy and again, her ability to change character and make them all believable is great.
Having never read the book or watched any of the screen adaptations, I was not sure what to expect. What I watched was a dark, intense, desolate portrayal of a family descending into darkness, trying to find the light and some happiness against the darkness of the moors. It was well acted and well produced, and I now want to read the book.
The stage was designed and lit very simply. There were very few props, just dark pieces of furniture, including a large kitchen table and chairs on a raised platform, and two antique leather Chippendale wingback chairs, one on a walkway above the stage and another to the side of the stage, the back wall of the stage is painted dark and contains frames and a family tree that the characters add photos to and remove when a new character appears or dies. The stage is lit very dark at all times to convey the darkness of the story. Large lights hang from the ceiling, and these are used to great effect during the storm scene on the moors.
Wuthering Heights is on until Saturday 6th May in the Royal theatre, which is a lovely old building (built in 1884) connected to the newer Derngate theatre. It retains many of the old features, which make it a beautiful theatre to be in, the safety curtain is especially beautiful. Although the seats can become uncomfortable after sitting on them for a long while. The Royal & Derngate is easy to get to with car parks within short walking distances away. There is disabled access throughout both buildings and the facilities are clean and presentable. There are a number of bars throughout the complex selling a range of alcohol, soft drinks, ice cream, sweets and theatre programmes. All staff are polite, helpful and courteous. I would recommend going to the Royal for the sense of history and nostalgia that only an old theatre can bring.
Rating: I give this play 4 out of 5 stars and if you are a fan of Wuthering Heights, I would recommend that you go and see the play.
TOUR DATES
24th April – 6th May 2023 Box Office: 01604 624811
Royal & Derngate, Northampton www.royalandderngate.co.uk
9th – 12th May 2023 Box Office: 0186530 5305
Oxford Playhouse www.oxfordplayhouse.com
16th – 18th May 2023 Box Office: 024 7652 4524
Warwick Arts Centre www.warwickartscentre.co.uk
23rd – 27th May 2023 Box Office: 020 8174 0090
Rose Theatre, Kingston https://rosetheatre.org/
6th – 10th June 2023 Box Office: 0191 230 5151
Northern Stage https://northernstage.co.uk/