Lily Dyble's stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre began its tour stop at Kingston's Rose Theatre on 13 October after premiering at Colchester Theatre on 26 September.

Based on Sally Cookson, Mike Akers and the original company' stage adaptation of the classic Victorian novel, which was first seen at the Bristol Old Vic in 2015, Dyble's production does well to honour Brontë's original text while also creating its own unique version of the story, which allows us direct access to protagonist Jane's inner world.

Now, I've not read the novel in about 10 years, so I cannot say whether Dyble's version follows Brontë's plot entirely, but it does authentically depict the unlikely romance between Jane and Rochester and is mostly reminiscent of the traditional Victorian Gothic theme with its dark staging and eerie soundtrack.

Anna Yates' stage setting is simple yet effective, with a steep black staircase containing 10 large hi-fi speakers which glow with light and can be moved around to depict different scene locations.

The speakers also frequently project acoustically adapting voices that interrupt each other to cleverly depict Jane's inner turmoil.

In fact, Composer and Sound Director Joseff Harris does a marvellous job of using sound to present the mood in a multitude of ways.

While the play occasionally drifts from its Victorian origin using modern technology, Khadija Raza's costumes perfectly reflect the outfits of what each class type would have worn in the 19th Century.

Dyble's production has a small cast of nine, with several of the actors interchanging between two and sometimes three different roles, and I must say that the acting from the whole cast is nothing short of spectacular. The cast is contemporarily diverse, with men playing young girls in the Lowood Schools scenes.

Olivia Marcus' (Bad Education, These Demons and The Mirror and the Light) portrayal of Jane is wonderfully spot on and a far cry from the comedy acting she presented in Bad Education.

And the London-born actor's Yorkshire accent was almost perfect and super fitting for a plot set in West Yorkshire.

Marcus should be incredibly proud of hearself in being at the heart of the production and producing a believable portrayal of Jane from childhood (she is only 10 at the start) to becoming a woman.

And her depiction of the infamous romance between Jane and Rochester, played by Gabriel Akuwudike (Hmanet and Shetland 10), has the audience both on the edge of their seats in that typical 'will they, won't they ' manner, and swooning when the pair eventually make out.

The chemistry between Marcus and the characters is electric and a wonderful depiction of the old-school love story.

On that note, Akuwudike plays Rochester excellently, doing a brilliant job of portraying the traditional stoic and mysterious yet oddly charming male love interest that often appears in similar love stories.

While their love has a prolonged start and has slightly dark undertones, the pair occasionally project moments of laughter to the audience, which is a welcome surprise for such an eerie production mimicking the traditional Victorian Gothic theme.

However, I must say that Andrea Gatchalian, who plays Helen and Adele in Dyble's production, stole the show for me.

Beginning the production as Helen before swapping to Rochester's French ward Adele, I was amazed at Catchalian's ability to make her child characters believable and to mimic the Scottish and French accents that her characters adopt, so perfectly.



While her portrayal of Helen almost brought me to tears, the actor's depiction of Adele was a firm favourite of mine, with her ability to make the audience laugh in a play that explores the power imbalance between men and women of the 19th century and themes of mental health.

Another showstopper for me is Robyn Rose-Li, who plays Bertha. Despite having one scene, her dramatic yet heartbreaking monologue depicts Bertha's mental health struggles so authentically that it is almost scary.

In fact, this whole scene, which sees Bertha caged up beneath the moving staircase stage prop, is reminiscent of how mental illnesses were treated in Brontë's time.

This scene had the whole audience moved to silence.

Equally, Kate Kordel did a magnificent job of playing Mrs Fairfax and Mrs Reed, with the former being a kind and helpful maid and the latter being Jane's sour and strict aunt who seamlessly abides by the Victorian gender and class traditions.

Leo Wan, Aamira Challenger, Millie Faraway, and Oscar Adams did an excellent job of interchanging between multiple characters and, despite often having little to no text, were able to play their characters through spectacular movement choreographed by Movement Director Natasha Harrison.

In fact, the choreography throughout the whole play is extraordinary, and the actors did an incredible job of depicting Bronte's plot through movement and sound.

Again, I must applaud Faraway, Wan and Adams for nailing their characters' varying accents, and Challenger, who may have the fewest lines, was always able to present her character's emotions with her incredible facial expressions.

Dyble's production as a whole is incredible as it intertwines moments of heartache and fear and religious undertones with laughter, friendship, love and musical elements, which to my surprise had me bobbing my shoulders up and down rhythmically, while also exploring themes of mental health and romance as well as following Brontë's feminist plot.

While the original text is a long read, the production does not rush Brontë's plot in its two-hour run, cleverly through sound and movement, and makes sure to include the Jane/Rochester love story at its heart.

And I was not the only person to enjoy Wednesday's (14 October) press night, as the finale was met with a standing ovation from the audience, which had EastEnders stars past and present among it.

During the interval, actors Shiv Jalota and Milly Zero told Nub News how much they enjoyed the first Act.

"It's been amazing so far, and all the sound, stage design, and storytelling is so unique," Jalota said.

Zero added: "This is a wonderfully modern take on Brontë's novel and the staging and actors bring so much fire."

Also among the audience was the Mayor of Kingston, Cllr Thay Thaylin and his Mayoress, who left the theatre on Wednesday with big smiles on their faces.

With Jane Eyre often being studied by school pupils and with two schools among Wednesday's audience, Dyble's production is not merely for adult viewers.

However, much to the surprise of the young girl sitting in front of me, there is some adult language, so be warned before bringing your little ones.

Jane Eyre is a Mercury Theatre Colchester, Rose Theatre & Storyhouse co-production, in association with Northern Stage and is running at The Rose until 24 October before moving on.

Tickets to the show can be bought via the Rose's website here.

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