Anna Burnside reviews 'a pretty good version' of the classic tale that suffers in the modern era.
Charlotte Bronte’s tale of the orphan who makes her own way in the world translates very comfortably to Scotland. Jane’s thrawn determination in the face of her vile cousin and uncaring aunt reek of Victorian Presbyterianism and draughty dining rooms.
This new version of the well-worn tale, written and directed by Jennifer Dick, changes nothing but the geography and the accents. And while the new setting fits very well, the plot feels stuck in the past.
It’s hard for a 21st century audience to feel anything more than historic disdain for a world that threw young women onto the mercy of cold relatives and brutal boarding schools, then gave them few options but work within the same heartless system.
A strong ensemble cast does their best to carry us along with the thwarted love story of feisty Jane and the mercurial Mr Rochester. Stephanie McGregor is well cast as Jane, with twinkly eyes, a defiant set to her mouth and a cardigan to remind us that she’s plain.
Johnny Panchaud is a strong Rochester, brooding in his Barbour jacket. There are a lot of expositional monologues to explain why he has a French ward - Stephen Arden flouncing around in a pink nylon nightie - and a mad wife in the attic. He pulls these off, and a ‘taps aff’ scene which leaves Jane gasping for breath, with great aplomb.
The rest of the cast musical chair it around the rest of the roles, with Alan Steele toggling between the tweedy ghillie and net-gloved mother of Jane’s love rival. Arden, minus the froufrou, is a particularly chilly St John Rivers, desperate to get to India and start John Knox’s work among the heathen masses.
This is a pretty good version of Jane Eyre. But Jane’s problems, so real and ghastly in the mid-19th century, have so little to say to us now that it is hard to care.
Jane Eyre is part of Bard in the Botanics' summer season and performs at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens until July 6, 2024. For further details, see their website.
Photo by Tommy Ka-Ken Wan
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