{"id":10200,"date":"2026-03-03T12:02:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T11:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=10200"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T11:02:57","slug":"john-joubert-jane-eyre-review-from-london-theatre1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2026\/03\/03\/john-joubert-jane-eyre-review-from-london-theatre1\/","title":{"rendered":"John Joubert – Jane Eyre. Review from London Theatre1"},"content":{"rendered":"
Read the original here<\/a><\/p>\n

Grimeborn Opera: Jane Eyre \u2013 Arcola Theatre | Review<\/h1>\n
By\u00a0Chris Omaweng\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/span>\/\u00a0August 8, 2025<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Composer John Joubert and librettist Kenneth Birkin worked on this opera adaptation of\u00a0Jane Eyre<\/em>\u00a0for over a decade, from 1987 to 1997 \u2013 there were other things going on during this time, and much of their collaboration was done by correspondence, some of which is apparently now in the archives of the British Library, together with some of Joubert\u2019s composition manuscripts. The good thing about this being an opera they wanted to compose and write, rather than being commissioned, is that there was no deadline by which it had to be good and ready come what may. The \u2018bad\u2019 thing, as it were, about an uncommissioned work is that it can take a while to get a full production. In this case, it was quite a long while indeed: and so it was, that on opening night, Birkin stood alone with the cast at curtain call, Joubert having died in 2019.<\/p>\n

\"Laura
Laura Mekhail as Jane Eyre. Photo by Camilla Greenwell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Surtitles are in use, even though the opera is in English in the first place. Emotions that come gushing from carefully constructed and thought-through intonations and inflections in a surprisingly enjoyable experience, accessible without compromising too much on the nuances in the story. Of course, a two-act opera (which itself probably rankles purists) that sends the audience home the \u2018right\u2019 side of 10:00pm isn\u2019t going to capture everything that the Charlotte Bront\u00eb novel does. It effectively skips the first two of the five stages of the novel\u2019s narrative, jumping straight into Jane Eyre (Laura Mekhail) having resigned from her job for the mundane reason (at surface level, at least) of being successful at another job she applied for. The rest is pretty much as the novel would have it, ending, in essence, where Bront\u00eb\u2019s Eyre wrote: \u201cReader, I married him\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t thinking about the book whilst watching the opera, which on balance I think is a good thing: the opera does not assume prior knowledge of the story, and there is no synopsis in the show\u2019s programme (well, online freesheet \u2013 it is 2025, after all), because one is not required. The operatic convention of putting more effort and energy into singing about one\u2019s intention to do something than actually doing it manifests itself in St John Rivers (Lawrence Thackeray) and his plan to embark on an overseas missionary trip. Whether he goes in the end is known to those who have read the novel, but here, with his purpose in Eyre\u2019s story served, he\u2019s just forgotten about altogether in the final scenes.<\/p>\n

The focus on the central character appeals to me: a show called\u00a0Jane Eyre<\/em>\u00a0should be about Jane Eyre! This is not opera on a grand scale, and it is, for the most part, solos and duets, duets and solos. I resist a direct comparison with Wagner\u2019s\u00a0Tristan und Isolde\u00a0<\/em>as the storyline is too dissimilar. Joubert\u2019s music more often than not has a propulsive rhythm, and this production is a lean machine, in the sense that most shows, even excellent ones, could do with a little trimming \u2013 and some could do with a lot \u2013 but this one requires none at all. Perhaps more set would have been ideal, as different settings looked more or less like one another. Otherwise, it was an enthusiastic and engaging evening, which held my attention throughout despite prior familiarity with the story.<\/p>\n

\"4<\/p>\n

Review by Chris Omaweng<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cI am no bird; and no net ensnares me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Arcola Theatre and Green Opera proudly present John Joubert\u2019s\u00a0Jane Eyre<\/em>\u2014his final opera, now fully staged for the first time.<\/p>\n

First heard in concert with the English Symphony Orchestra under Kenneth Woods, this bold adaptation of Charlotte Bront\u00eb\u2019s novel follows one woman\u2019s fight for freedom and fulfilment on her own terms. Facing adversity, injustice, and a shattering betrayal, Jane\u2019s journey unfolds through a dynamic cast of young performers, directed by Eleanor Burke.<\/p>\n

Laura Mekhail \u2013 Jane Eyre
\nHector Bloggs \u2013 Edward Rochester
\nAnna Sideris \u2013 Sarah \/ Leah \/ Diana Rivers
\nEmily Hodkinson \u2013 Mrs Fairfax \/ Mary Rivers
\nLawrence Thackeray \u2013 Richard Mason \/ Rev St John Rivers
\nAlexander Semple \u2013 Briggs \/ Brocklehurst
\nChris Murphy \u2013 Rev Wood
\nSteffi Fashokun \u2013 Bertha Mason<\/p>\n

Alex Harmon \u2013 Oboe \/ Cor Anglais
\nAleem Kandour \u2013 Violin
\nDaniil Zemtstov \u2013 Viola
\nThomas Vidal \u2013 Cello
\nEvangeline Tang \u2013 Double Bass
\nDavid Wheeler \u2013 Horn
\nLewis Graham \u2013 Clarinet<\/p>\n

John Joubert (1927-2019) \u2013 Composer
\nKenneth Birkin \u2013 Librettist
\nEleanor Burke \u2013 Director
\nAlex Gotch \u2013 Movement Director
\nKenneth Woods \u2013 Musical Director \/ Conductor
\nPeggy Wu \u2013 Associate Musical Director \/ Associate Conductor
\nEmeline Beroud \u2013 Production Designer
\nTrui Malten \u2013 Lighting Designer
\nOscar Simms \u2013 Assistant Director<\/p>\n

GRIMEBORN OPERA: JANE EYRE
\nArcola Theatre<\/a>
\n6 to 9 August 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n