Jane Eyre, Northern Ballet Review
Hannah Bateman as Jane and Joseph Taylor as Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre. Photo Emma Kauldhar
Written by Hollie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Caution: This production uses smoke and haze.
Charlotte Brontë’s classic romantic novel has been brought to Theatre Royal Nottingham’s stage this week by Northern Ballet. As one of the most famous and much loved novels, Jane Eyre is as popular as it was when it was first published, and this could be seen in the auditorium with a relatively full and diverse audience.
Jane Eyre is a tale of loneliness and jealousy as well as love, and I was interested to see how this passionate and intense story could be retold on the stage without dialogue and through the use of choreography and body language.
Cathy Marston as Director and Choreographer really brings this ballet into the modern day. The choreography is particularly contemporary and allows for natural movement to occur between the characters and across the stage. This is a really clever reimagining. Along with the flowing floaty costumes, designed by Patrick Kinmonth, which with their muted colour palette, allow the dancers to shine and move precisely across the stage. The set design, also designed by Patrick Kinmonth, is a very deep set-back stage that allows the audience to observe two scenes at the same time in some cases. The stage allows the audience to become part of the story and provides a fantastic perspective, as well as plenty of depth and illusion.
This particular technique did make it difficult for some audience members to see some characters on stage at times, but with the inclusion of subtle scenery and props, the plot was easy to follow and enjoy. The use of props throughout the performance spectacularly and seamlessly were interwoven with the ballerina’s bodies as they danced.
Brontë’s protagonist Jane, a lonely orphan in her Uncle’s care, grows up in an unhappy childhood which she is desperate to escape from. As she grows up and becomes an adult, she enrols as a teacher at Lowood Institution, where she has been a pupil for six years. As Jane grows into adulthood, she becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the handsome Mr Rochester.
The growing romance between Jane and Mr Rochester is explored by dancers Amber Lewis as Jane, and Joseph Taylor as Mr Rochester, who were both able to depict their characters through dance, emotion and body language. Jane’s emotions were wonderfully depicted by Amber Lewis, and throughout the first act the seriousness of her situation along with the depiction of the Yorkshire Moors is beautifully told. Amber and Joseph’s facial expressions and mannerisms really add to the storytelling.
Special mentions also need to be made to the younger cast of Jane Eyre, who brought humour and light into the sombre and sad moments of the tale.
Watching a ballet can often take you back to reflections of a bygone era, but this portrayal is particularly clever with its modern stance, use of foreshadowing and superb storytelling. The setting of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal, with its classic red curtains and grand ceiling with its chandelier, was the perfect setting for this modern reimagining of the classic love story.
Northern Ballet’s Jane Eyre continues its run at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 12th April 2025 before it moves to Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre and Sadler’s Wells in London before concluding its tour in May at Norwich’s Theatre Royal.
If you are looking for further productions by Northern Ballet then why not take a look later this year in their depiction of Merlin? It plays at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal between 15th - 18th October 2025.
★★★★
