There’s a moment in the National Theatre’s touring production of Jane Eyre with such earth-shattering intensity that even the most devoted Brontë scholar is liable to find the breath knocked clean out of her. What makes the freshness and immediacy of this scene all the more remarkable is that it hinges on one of the single most famous quotations from the novel, when a tormented Jane finally snaps after weeks of mind games from Mr Rochester.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me,” she says, furiously. “I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.”
The explosive rage of actor Nadia Clifford in this scene sets it apart from any previous adaptation, and reflects director Sally Cookson's decision to present the story as an impassioned bid for freedom, independence and equal rights.
“It’s interesting because that was actually the scene I did for my audition, and I think Sally’s attitude was very much, ‘go big or go home’,” laughs Clifford. “Whenever I’d seen it done before in other adaptations, I’d always felt like the way it had been performed had never really rung true with the words that were being said. What we’re seeing is this anger that’s built up over her whole life, and I think all of us at some point have had a massive argument with someone that’s been the result of things being bottled up and accumulating over time. So I was tapping into that, but I also felt that it had to be very specific. The way I’d describe it is that if she could, she’d laser him with her eyes.”
Despite this, it’s actually the quieter moments and the subtlety of feeling that have most struck Clifford since returning to the novel in preparation for the part.
“I love the book, but I first read it when I was about 14, and at that time I was very attracted to the high drama and emotion of it. Obviously revisiting it as an adult you notice different things, particularly what’s going on in Jane’s head in those less dramatic moments.
“I also don’t think that I’d really picked up on it as a feminist text before, although now I feel like that’s unavoidable - especially with all the things going on in the world at the moment. Education is a really strong theme in the story, and that idea that everyone should have the right to exercise their minds. Over 170 years later, people are still having to fight for those rights, so I think it’s quite powerful.”
In the show, Jane’s complex inner life is represented through conversations with herself, played out literally with other members of the cast standing in as her conflicting thoughts and feelings.
“There’s a scene when Jane’s at school where her friend Helen tells her that as long as she listens to the voice of her conscience, she’ll never be truly alone, and it’s from then onwards that she starts having these internal conversations. There are a lot of long, internal monologues in the book, so I think it’s quite a clever way of approaching those, and because I’m on stage the whole time, it was great for me to have that support around me.”
Nor is it only Jane whose rights and freedom the production passionately advocates for. Together with mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall, whose sublime singing is woven through the play, Cookson also shines a spotlight on Rochester’s “lunatic” first wife, Bertha Mason.
“She’s a much bigger presence in the play because we wanted to give her some dignity. There’s a really nice moment where Bertha gives Jane back her wedding dress, and I think we’ve given that a bit more tenderness and just held it a bit longer than in the original National Theatre production.”
Striking parallels are drawn between Bertha and Jane throughout the show. Not only do they interact directly, but as the principal vocalist, Marshall is always present, shadowing Jane on her journey and often voicing her feelings and frustrations through a combination of traditional, original and contemporary music. It’s particularly moving in a deeply unsettling version of a familiar song that accompanies an account of the fire at Thornfield from housekeeper Mrs Fairfax.
“Sally and I both felt strongly about the similarities between Jane and Bertha - both of them stand outside the accepted norms for women in society at that time, but also in terms of how that’s dealt with. When Jane is a child, she gets locked up in the Red Room for not being able to control her emotions, and even though Bertha is obviously mentally unwell, that’s very similar to what happens to her - she’s sexual and violent and nobody really knows how to deal with that, so she’s locked away. For me, that’s the main reason why Jane refuses to live with Rochester as his wife while Bertha is alive. She feels very strongly that Bertha is his rightful bride and doesn’t want to take that away from her, or be a part of the way she’s being treated.”
Marshall is the one original cast member who has stayed on for the tour, and so was part of the development of its script. A leading director of devised theatre, Sally Cookson typically starts rehearsals with only the germ of an idea, which cast and creative team then work together to transform into a show. Though the touring cast began with a pre-written script, it’s clear to see they’ve made the show their own.
“We were definitely encouraged to play around with things. We all went back to the original novel, and I know there were ideas that myself and the current cast had that Sally hadn’t thought about before. It’s been quite unlike anything I’ve done previously.”
Jane Eyre runs at the Birmingham REP from Monday 4 to Saturday 16 September.
There’s a moment in the National Theatre’s touring production of Jane Eyre with such earth-shattering intensity that even the most devoted Brontë scholar is liable to find the breath knocked clean out of her. What makes the freshness and immediacy of this scene all the more remarkable is that it hinges on one of the single most famous quotations from the novel, when a tormented Jane finally snaps after weeks of mind games from Mr Rochester.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me,” she says, furiously. “I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.”
The explosive rage of actor Nadia Clifford in this scene sets it apart from any previous adaptation, and reflects director Sally Cookson's decision to present the story as an impassioned bid for freedom, independence and equal rights.
“It’s interesting because that was actually the scene I did for my audition, and I think Sally’s attitude was very much, ‘go big or go home’,” laughs Clifford. “Whenever I’d seen it done before in other adaptations, I’d always felt like the way it had been performed had never really rung true with the words that were being said. What we’re seeing is this anger that’s built up over her whole life, and I think all of us at some point have had a massive argument with someone that’s been the result of things being bottled up and accumulating over time. So I was tapping into that, but I also felt that it had to be very specific. The way I’d describe it is that if she could, she’d laser him with her eyes.”
Despite this, it’s actually the quieter moments and the subtlety of feeling that have most struck Clifford since returning to the novel in preparation for the part.
“I love the book, but I first read it when I was about 14, and at that time I was very attracted to the high drama and emotion of it. Obviously revisiting it as an adult you notice different things, particularly what’s going on in Jane’s head in those less dramatic moments.
“I also don’t think that I’d really picked up on it as a feminist text before, although now I feel like that’s unavoidable - especially with all the things going on in the world at the moment. Education is a really strong theme in the story, and that idea that everyone should have the right to exercise their minds. Over 170 years later, people are still having to fight for those rights, so I think it’s quite powerful.”
In the show, Jane’s complex inner life is represented through conversations with herself, played out literally with other members of the cast standing in as her conflicting thoughts and feelings.
“There’s a scene when Jane’s at school where her friend Helen tells her that as long as she listens to the voice of her conscience, she’ll never be truly alone, and it’s from then onwards that she starts having these internal conversations. There are a lot of long, internal monologues in the book, so I think it’s quite a clever way of approaching those, and because I’m on stage the whole time, it was great for me to have that support around me.”
Nor is it only Jane whose rights and freedom the production passionately advocates for. Together with mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall, whose sublime singing is woven through the play, Cookson also shines a spotlight on Rochester’s “lunatic” first wife, Bertha Mason.
“She’s a much bigger presence in the play because we wanted to give her some dignity. There’s a really nice moment where Bertha gives Jane back her wedding dress, and I think we’ve given that a bit more tenderness and just held it a bit longer than in the original National Theatre production.”
Striking parallels are drawn between Bertha and Jane throughout the show. Not only do they interact directly, but as the principal vocalist, Marshall is always present, shadowing Jane on her journey and often voicing her feelings and frustrations through a combination of traditional, original and contemporary music. It’s particularly moving in a deeply unsettling version of a familiar song that accompanies an account of the fire at Thornfield from housekeeper Mrs Fairfax.
“Sally and I both felt strongly about the similarities between Jane and Bertha - both of them stand outside the accepted norms for women in society at that time, but also in terms of how that’s dealt with. When Jane is a child, she gets locked up in the Red Room for not being able to control her emotions, and even though Bertha is obviously mentally unwell, that’s very similar to what happens to her - she’s sexual and violent and nobody really knows how to deal with that, so she’s locked away. For me, that’s the main reason why Jane refuses to live with Rochester as his wife while Bertha is alive. She feels very strongly that Bertha is his rightful bride and doesn’t want to take that away from her, or be a part of the way she’s being treated.”
Marshall is the one original cast member who has stayed on for the tour, and so was part of the development of its script. A leading director of devised theatre, Sally Cookson typically starts rehearsals with only the germ of an idea, which cast and creative team then work together to transform into a show. Though the touring cast began with a pre-written script, it’s clear to see they’ve made the show their own.
“We were definitely encouraged to play around with things. We all went back to the original novel, and I know there were ideas that myself and the current cast had that Sally hadn’t thought about before. It’s been quite unlike anything I’ve done previously.”
Jane Eyre runs at the Birmingham REP from Monday 4 to Saturday 16 September.
Interview by Heather Kincaid