The delight is in the detail in this stirring and emotional ballet adaptation of Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
The first night of this Northern Ballet revival’s run at Norwich Theatre Royal featured exquisite characterisation from Seeka Shirai in the title role, with measured movements, subtle tics, and closed expressions representing the tortured inner life of the novel’s heroine.
Jane has a torturous life from the off. She is orphaned at an early age – shown here with heart-breaking coolness, as the young Jane (played by Aerys Merrill) is ignored at the graveside and finds little solace in the stark and angular home of her aunt (Alessia Petrosino) and her cousins (Mayuko Iwanaga, Julie Nunès, Filippo Di Vilio). The children’s cruel fighting and the adult’s icy disdain is perfectly captured in Cathy Marston’s choreography.
Things are no better when she is sent to live at the Lowood Institute, until she becomes a teacher to fellow orphans, and eventually is employed as a governess at Thornfield Hall, and falls for her employer Edward Rochester.
Rochester is introduced to us in a playful and rumbunctious scene where he and the ensemble literally engage in horseplay: throwing a saddle and whips around. It is neatly structured and fun to watch.
It does, though, throw up one of the few compromises in the piece: six men in the ensemble switch between in-story characters and metaphorical representations of Jane’s anguish. It enables some of the most interesting dance in the piece, but the single set of costumes blurs the line between symbolism and story a bit jarringly.
As Rochester, Harris Beatie is well-matched with Shirai, and well capable of switching from brooding master to the more subtle and sensitive scenes of courtship. Together they edge achingly from the strictures of employer-employee to flirtation, reservation, and eventual release.
Shirai also has pas de deux with Andrew Tomlinson as straight-laced suitor St John; he manifests the hesitation (and frustration) of the character beautifully, and as with Beattie works seamlessly in the pairing.
Sena Kitano is full of girlish joy as young pupil Adele, and Gemma Coutts brings fire to the portrayal of her unstable mother Bertha.
Brontë’s book is a tough read, with plenty of disappointment and distress for Jane. This adaptation captures its essence through outstanding performances and an assured and inventive staging.
The other detail to mention is that after much controversy, Northern Ballet is performing this piece with a live orchestra. Philip Feeney’s score – mixing original composition and borrowed pieces – is perfectly fitted to the action.
- Jane Eyre continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 24 May 2025.
