Review by Michelle Sutton
The novel Wuthering Heights written by Emily Brontë in 1847 is considered one of the greatest English-language books ever written and is famous for its romanticism and gothic fiction. Emma Rice’s musical adaptation aims to make Wuthering Heights more fun, funny and accessible to all audiences. The co-production between National Theatre, Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and York Theatre is playing at Roslyn Packer Theatre for three weeks only.
Simon Baker’s video and sound design provides the sight and sound of wind, rain and birds, all contributing to the presence of the Moors and tumultuous emotions of the characters. The music, composed by Ian Ross is folk and rock influenced, featuring acoustic guitars, a cello and with spirited chants and yells of exuberance. The band sits on the stage and is visible to the audience. The music is a nice addition, however there could have been a lot more of it throughout the show. There are many interesting technical elements in the production, including use of puppetry, directed by John Leader. The set and costumes designed by Vicki Mortimer are effective in distinguishing between class and revealing aspects of character’s inner worlds.
This production creatively uses music and dance to evoke the sense of tragedy, and romanticism of the moors. The chorus ensemble become The Moors led boldly and courageously by The Leader of The Moors Nandi Bhebhe. Bhebhe embodies this difficult role exquisitely, leading the chorus and serving as a guardian for the other characters. Bhebhe’s voice is ethereal and powerful, perfect for evoking the mystery and awe of nature. Amongst a very strong ensemble, Bhebhe’s performance is a sure stand-out. Stephanie Hockley is fully committed as wild, tortured Catherine with an angelic voice perfectly suited to the folk/rock style of the songs. She is sadly under-utilised in the second act as she sits around the edges of the stage and her presence is not really felt although Heathcliff states she is haunting him constantly throughout. John Leader is stoic and tragic as Heathcliff, portraying a transformation of character that takes place over the course of decades of abuse and brutality. Leader navigates this expertly, changing before the audience’s eyes from a boy who is a hopeful outsider to an isolated, numb, vicious figure by the end of the show. There is a lot of emphasis on character building but not a lot on Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship. The show is somewhat obsessed with explaining itself, meaning the audience does not get the opportunity to get swept up and lost in the world of the tragic story.
TJ Holmes as Dr Kenneth is a constant bright spark in the production, with just the right amount of pep in his step to provide much welcome lighter moments throughout the heavy runtime. Matthew Churcher does a fine job with the challenging roles of Hindley Earnshaw and Hareton Earnshaw. Rebecca Collingwood flexes impressive physical comedy as both Isabelle Linton and her son “Little” Linton Heathcliff. Sam Archer is appropriately awkward and funny as Edgar Linton and Lockwood. Robyn Sinclair plays Frances and Young Cathy and imbues Young Cathy with a beautiful wild, curious, innocent spirit and has a lovely solo moment where her angelic voice soars. It seems a real waste that she does not have more solos throughout the show. Tom Fox is endearing as Mr Earnshaw, who treats young Heathcliff with kindness.
There is a lot to admire about this ambitious production including many exquisitely executed technical elements. However it may be a case of too much spectacle muddling the moving story at the core of the novel. The show does not leave much of an emotional impact which is disappointing and surprising considering the depths and extremes of human feeling and behaviour explored in the source material. Despite not hitting the emotional peaks expected, Wuthering Heights should be commended for its imaginative take on a classic and for boldly trying so many new things.
