JANE EYRE

Arcola Theatre

★★★★★

“at once powerful and raw while remaining refined and focused”

Green Opera’s production of John Joubert’s Jane Eyre turns the best parts of opera into a phenomenal work of art. I strongly encourage anyone who “doesn’t like opera” to try it – productions like this will make you think again!

An abridged adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s original story, the audience sees a mysterious woman in white engrossed in a blood red tapestry with branches, keys, books and other plot references suspended above us. As the lights go down, the woman suddenly flits between these objects, foreshadowing what is about to unfold. Then in darkness, tongues of flame illuminate the full cast before the lights come up on the end of Jane’s time at Lowood School. She is considering leaving to become Rochester’s governess at Thornfield Hall and a fierce argument ensues with Brocklehurst, the school’s supervisor, before she frees herself of his cruelty. Times skips forward to Thornfield Hall as Jane rescues Rochester from incendiary catastrophe. It’s clear the two already share feelings for each other and by the close of Act 1 they are planning their future together. However, the course of love never did run smooth, and a shocking revelation forces Jane to flee Thornfield Hall until love finally calls again.

Joubert’s complex score creates a rich and varied soundscape, heightening the emotional rollercoaster we find ourselves on. From clashy, postmodernist discordance, to sublime, soaring harmonies, it perfectly punctuates each scene and drives the plot forward in its own right. The complexity may not be the easiest on the ear for the musically uninitiated; but you don’t need technical knowledge to appreciate musical director and conductor Kenneth Woods’ accomplished interpretation of the conflict and harmony this powerful composition conveys.

Kenneth Birkin’s English libretto is refreshingly selective in its use of source text, emphasising the moments of emotional intensity and skipping over the rest. This creates an emotionally charged experience, elevating key scenes without seeming self-indulgent. In fact, the libretto is surprisingly clear, avoiding too much repetition (an opera bugbear of mine), and holding your attention even if you are familiar with the text. Though anyone unfamiliar with the story would benefit from doing some pre-reading to fill in the gaps.

Another opera bugbear of mine can be the lack of dramatic immersion, especially in more static productions when you’re up in the gods (sadly the only seats I can afford). Producing this in the Arcola Theatre is a revelation, as the intimate space draws us into the cast’s full spectrum of emotions without having to take out a loan. Eleanor Burke’s direction immerses us further, extracting powerful performances and cleverly using space, levels, movement and visually striking symbolism. Though my favourite part is the use of the woman in white and her tapestry. The reason Jane flees Thornfield probably isn’t a surprise and the reveal risks becoming hackneyed; instead Burke uses that prior knowledge to manipulate the narrative, creating tension by foreshadowing events through her. Movement designer Alex Gotch also makes her presence ghostly in new ways, such as her unnatural actions and voiceless breathing.

Emeline Beroud’s set design is a stroke of genius. We open with key plot references lifted from the page and into the air in fragments. There is enough to keep the narrative grounded but their involvement remains delightfully abstract. The minimalist design reflects this abridged adaption and yet packs in a surprising amount of storytelling through very effective symbolism, particularly the recurring motif of red cord which functions as a restraint, fire, societal duty and more at different points, and the unravelling blood red tapestry hanging ominously over the stage.

Beroud’s Georgian inspired costumes are also steeped in symbolism, with an oppressively monochrome palette. Trui Malten’s lighting design appears deceptively simple as initially shadowy, cool lights flicker into flames before warming Jane and Rochester’s blossoming romance with gold tones. It’s simple but inventive, at one point using nails in the wall to cast reaching shadows onto Rochester’s emotional prison. Gotch’s movement design is woven seamlessly throughout the story with a spasmodic ballet – at times dancing, climbing, escaping – overshadowing Jane and Rochester’s love.

The cast is a performance masterclass. Laura Mekhail shows us Jane’s transformation with grace, grit and soul, while showcasing her sparkling soprano top notes and powerful lower register. Hector Bloggs’ booming baritone makes the whole space reverberate with Rochester’s regret and despair. Anna Sideris, Emily Hodkinson and Lawrence Thackeray offer some welcome levity as the Rivers’ family, jokingly showing off their exquisite harmonising. Steffi Fashokun’s Bertha Mason wordlessly conveys deep pain and turmoil. The small but mighty troupe of musicians (Alex Harmon, Aleem Kandour, Daniil Zemtstov, Thomas Vidal, Evangeline Tang, David Wheeler, Lewis Graham) deserve a huge round of applause for their expert performance, filling the space with beautiful, driving sound.

This focused adaption of Jane Eyre is at once powerful and raw while remaining refined and focused. It benefits from a little pre-reading, though as someone who doesn’t love opera I can wholeheartedly say it’s a phenomenal piece of art which works on many levels. Don’t miss your chance to fall in love with opera today!

JANE EYRE

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 6th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Camilla Greenwell

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

CLIVE | ★★★ | August 2025

THE RECKONING | ★★★★ | June 2025

IN OTHER WORDS | ★★★★ | May 2025

HEISENBERG | ★★★ | April 2025

CRY-BABY, THE MUSICAL | ★★★★★ | March 2025

THE DOUBLE ACT | ★★★★★ | January 2025

TARANTULA | ★★★★ | January 2025

HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS | ★★★★ | December 2024

DISTANT MEMORIES OF THE NEAR FUTURE | ★★★ | November 2024

THE BAND BACK TOGETHER | ★★★★ | September 2024

JANE EYRE

★★★★

“The energy of the musicians is a delight to watch”

Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea is, most critics would agree, one of the greatest of baroque operas. It’s always a pleasure, therefore, to see young artists take on such a challenging work. Ensemble OrQuesta’s production, part of the Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn Opera Festival, fits the bill. This company doesn’t hesitate to update Monteverdi’s morally problematic tale of the Roman Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea in a variety of intriguing ways. Fortunately for more old school music lovers, however, director Marcio da Silva chooses a small orchestra of period musical instruments. He demonstrates a contemporary sensibility in the casting and singing of the roles instead. And audiences who come for the sublime sound of L’Incoronazione di Poppea won’t be disappointed.

Monteverdi and his collaborators created the libretto of L’Incoronazione di Poppea with moral ambiguity in mind. None of the main characters, all based on historical figures, are very sympathetic, with the exception, perhaps, of the philosopher Seneca. The historical Emperor Nero was a monster. His scheming mistress Poppea, having achieved her ambition of being crowned Empress, was then murdered by her husband, who dispatched during his reign, his mother, his former wife Octavia, and many other inconvenient friends and relations. Monteverdi gets around the problem of unsympathetic protagonists by framing the story as a competition between three goddesses. Fortune, Virtue and Love each claim they have the most power over humans, but Love claims the prize with her example of Nero and Poppea. By presenting the story of Nero and Poppea, Love shows how she conquers all, including a hostile court, a vengeful soon to be ex wife, and a moralizing moral philosopher. The fact that the two lovers in Love’s example have to wade through the blood of many victims to attain their desire is beside the point. At least in Love’s way of looking at the world. And Monteverdi’s audiences, who adored this work, saw no division between the erotics of politics, and death and desire. Quite the contrary.

Opera was still a relatively young art form when Monteverdi began writing his own. Although many of his operas are now lost to us, those that remain still convert people to passionate fans every year. They are innovative, challenging, and yet very accessible. The trick is to honour the intimacy of the small orchestra while creating a large enough space for powerful voices.

Ensemble OrQuesta’s production mostly succeeds at these contradictory aims, thanks to careful staging by Marcio da Silva. The period instruments of the orchestra never overwhelm the voices, or the studio space, and are cleverly tucked away under a platform that allows the audience to both see as well as hear them. The energy of the musicians is a delight to watch. The staging only falters when there is a crowd scene which cannot be cut, or otherwise abridged. The actual coronation of the Empress Poppea is bound to fall flat under such restrictions, even if the intimate space is perfect for the even more numerous scenes of, well, intimacy.

The modern music director has a lot of flexibility in assigning roles in L’Incoronazione di Poppea. For this production soprano Helen May plays Poppea and mezzo soprano Julia Portela Piñón is Nerone (or Nero.) Countertenors are often selected to sing the role of Nerone, but da Silva assigns his countertenor Eric Schlossberg to the role of Ottone. All three singers are both competent singers and actors—a necessity for an opera staged in an intimate space like the Studio at the Arcola. If May and Piñón do not quite capture the desire in the acting of their love scenes, they more than make up for it in the eroticism of the singing. There are some outstanding voices among the rest of Ensemble OrQuesta, in particular tenor Kieran White who manages three very different roles as Arnalta, Nero’s male lover Lucano, and the messenger Liberto. Also noteworthy is bass baritone Gheorghe Palcu as Seneca—a performance of great gravity and precision. Soprano Hazel Neighbour commands the stage with her Ottavia. It takes both energy and courage to take on L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and the entire company demonstrates convincingly that it has ample supplies of both.

L’Incoronazione di Poppea runs until July 30th and I encourage you to see it, and to get to as many offerings of the Grimeborn Festival at the Arcola Theatre as you can. If you are still a reluctant opera fan, this production, and the Festival, will convert you.

Reviewed by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Peter Mould

Tag Archives: Grimeborn Festival

JANE EYRE

★★★★★

Arcola Theatre

JANE EYRE

Arcola Theatre

★★★★★

“at once powerful and raw while remaining refined and focused”