ARCOLA THEATRE – UNTIL 9th AUGUST 2025

REVIEWED BY JACKIE THORNTON

4****

Charlotte Brontë’s iconic 19th Century tale of one woman’s quest for equality and freedom transcends its roots as an intimate first-person narrative erupting onto the stage as a fully fledged opera. Bringing to life heroine Jane Eyre’s emotional dilemmas through music, John Joubert’s composition and Kenneth Birkin’s libretto are now staged in their entirety for the first time.

Award-winning director Eleanor Burke’s bold interpretation keeps the presence of Bertha, the mad woman in the attic, alive for the audience as Steffi Fashokun’s balletic moves weave around the main action. She refuses to be forgotten. Taking the titular role is Egyptian soprano Laura Mekhail, expertly embodying Jane’s turmoil, self-sacrifice and desires. Her duets with British baritone Hector Bloggs, who plays brooding Rochester, are magnificent. The accompanying cast adds real gravitas and solemnity to the performance. Tenor Lawrence Thackeray deserves a mention for his humorous portrayal of the Reverend in act two as does soprano Anna Sideris’s subtle yet affecting range of facial expressions, helping to drive the narrative along.

Conductor and musical director Kenneth Woods draws wonderfully on a talented orchestra to capture Joubert’s “energising harmonies”, which make profound use of clashes and bi-tonality, and deliver an unsettling and dark tone throughout. Emeline Beroud’s set and costume design reinforces the bleak, overbearing setting of Thornfield, making strong use of red threads to contrast with the dull, conservative, buttoned-up dress of the Victorian era. Staying true to Green Opera’s sustainability credentials, there are minimal props and costume changes and everything has an air of reuse to it.

Jane Eyre is part of the line up for the seventeenth edition of the Grimeborn Opera Festival which features radical and innovative productions from across the globe. The Arcola Theatre aims to be the world’s first carbon neutral theatre while its co-producer for this festival, Green Opera, is committed to uniting art and environmental consciousness. The festival runs until mid September with a range of unique offerings so why not indulge in some Tosca, dive into Tristan und Isolde or get a hit of Sense and Sensibility? This is opera like you’ve never seen before and at an affordable price tag.