Jane Eyre Leeds Grand review: Northern Ballet’s stunning revival captures Brontë's spirit in dance
Northern Ballet’s revival of Jane Eyre is a haunting, poetic distillation of the beloved novel that speaks to its audience in movement as eloquently as Charlotte Bronte’s work did in words.
With undeniably beautiful choreography from Cathy Marston, the production at Leeds Grand Theatre strips the story to its core - but loses none of its power. It’s a visceral and deeply affecting interpretation of the protagonist’s journey from abused orphan to fully grown woman.
From the opening moments, the production grips the audience. Young Jane is sketched in sharp, staccato movements. We see her bullied by her cruel cousins and banished to Lowood School, where deprivation and tragedy shape her resilience.
The death of her friend Helen - one of the novel’s memorable moments - is rendered incredibly delicately, the girl’s fading life mirrored in the softness of the choreography.
The ballet’s simplicity in staging is its strength. A chair here, a curtain there - nothing more is needed to conjure the showy grandeur and the intense oppression of Thornfield Hall.
And the set’s abstract nature also heightens the production’s dreamlike quality. A particularly striking element is the evocation of fire: thick smoke and a wash of searing orange light transform the stage into a terrifying inferno as Bertha - wild and untamed in a ragged red dress - torches Rochester’s bed and later crashes his doomed wedding to Jane.
The relationship between Jane and Rochester is electric, their duets an intense push and pull, filled with longing, restraint and barely contained passion.
For a novel as sprawling as Jane Eyre, the two-hour run time is impressively condensed. Yet the story never feels rushed, the key moments seamlessly flowing into one another. Even those unfamiliar with the book will feel its narrative pulse in every leap and lift.
Northern Ballet’s production is touring to Nottingham Theatre Royal (April 8 - 12), Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (April 22 - 26), London Sadler’s Wells (May 13 - 17) and Norwich Theatre Royal (May 20 - 24).