This contemporary operatic take on a classic story is visually rich and musically dramatic, brought to life by a talented group of young singers
Contemporary operas can seem daunting or inaccessible to many theatre-goers, but familiar stories like Jane Eyre can offer an easier entry into newer music, and this dramatic and visually rich production is a great starting point. This new production from the Arcola Theatre and Green Opera is a compelling and energised retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s dramatic Gothic tale of the fraught love story between young governess Jane Eyre and her brooding employer Edward Rochester. With a small, seven piece ensemble accompanying a cast of eight, this is an engagingly intimate production. Fans of earlier, more traditional operas may not connect immediately with John Joubert’s 20th-century composing style, but the tension inherent in the harmonies does complement the drama of the plotline, and there are some truly lovely soaring moments, particularly in duets between Jane & Mr. Rochester. While Kenneth Birkin’s libretto skips over quite a bit of the novel’s plot to focus on a few select scenes, the supertitles help ensure that the audience can catch the important details as they’re mentioned by projecting the text of the opera above the actors.
Soprano Laura Mekhail’s performance as Jane Eyre was an absolute highlight of the opera – in addition to her clear and sophisticated vocal performance, she brought an intense and earnest focus to the role which breathed new life into an iconic character. Her bright, expressive eyes draw you into Jane’s internal conflicts, and she delivers each line with intention. Baritone Hector Bloggs was compelling as Edward Rochester, and moved easily between the different facets of Rochester’s character – at times the threatening captor to his first wife, Bertha, and at times the flirt who draws Jane into their romance. Bloggs is a much younger Rochester than usual, but this does allow him to bring an earnestness to the character which is often absent in portrayals where he’s characterised as a more jaded middle-aged man. Bloggs’s voice fills the theatre powerfully during more dramatic moments, but he has a deft grasp of dynamics, and took several opportunities to shift into a much softer, more tender tone to develop Mr. Rochester’s more desolate and conflicted side.
Another standout was Steffi Fashokun as Bertha Mason, Mr. Rochester’s first wife who he keeps locked in his attic. Bertha is present but unspeaking throughout the opera, so she communicates entirely through movement. With Steffi Fashokun’s contemporary dance training and movement direction from Alex Gotch, Bertha holds the audience’s focus throughout as a compelling, tortured presence. While the ‘woman in the attic’ is often written off by both Mr. Rochester and many readers as a crazy woman – a burden Mr. Rochester is forced to bear – Steffi moves through scenes as a sort of tortured sprite, asking audiences to question how much her occasional outbursts are caused by any malice, and how much they might be caused by the tragedy of her situation and captivity. At times she seems to be pulled and pushed by invisible hands, calling to mind historical descriptions of witchcraft or possession, and yet her most frantic moments happen as she watches her husband slowly falling for another woman.
Eleanor Burke’s direction and Emeline Beroud’s set and costumes help create a rich visual world in which these tense interpersonal dynamics play out. The production design centres on the red threads of fate and destiny which at times trap and pull each character in different directions. Above the stage, in her attic, Bertha Mason works at a blood red tapestry, like a modern-day Penelope weaving in captivity. Hanging from the ceiling are several props representing key moments or themes from Jane’s life, and characters interact with these at key points in the show. Within the minimal yet intimate space of the Arcola, these props help create a tangible landscape evoking the 19th century world of the novel. The immediacy of the small cast singing so closely to the audience also allowed the singers to play with a much greater dynamic range than some traditional operas in a larger space.
The rest of the small cast delivered powerful vocal performances, with many of them taking on two or three characters to fill out the various chapters of Jane’s life. With promising young talent both onstage and behind the scenes, this production is an exciting glimpse of the next generation of opera.