Jane Eyre

Reviews

​★★★★★
THE SPY IN THE STALLS
Hannah Bothelton

‘Green Opera’s production of John Joubert’s Jane Eyre turns the best parts of opera into a phenomenal work of art. I strongly encourage anyone who “doesn’t like opera” to try it – productions like this will make you think again!’

‘at once powerful and raw while remaining refined and focused’

‘Producing this in the Arcola Theatre is a revelation, as the intimate space draws us into the cast’s full spectrum of emotions without having to take out a loan. Eleanor Burke’s direction immerses us further, extracting powerful performances and cleverly using space, levels, movement and visually striking symbolism.’

‘Emeline Beroud’s set design is a stroke of genius. We open with key plot references lifted from the page and into the air in fragments. There is enough to keep the narrative grounded but their involvement remains delightfully abstract. The minimalist design reflects this abridged adaption and yet packs in a surprising amount of storytelling through very effective symbolism, particularly the recurring motif of red cord which functions as a restraint, fire, societal duty and more at different points, and the unravelling blood red tapestry hanging ominously over the stage.’

‘Gotch’s movement design is woven seamlessly throughout the story with a spasmodic ballet – at times dancing, climbing, escaping – overshadowing Jane and Rochester’s love.

‘The cast is a performance masterclass. Laura Mekhail shows us Jane’s transformation with grace, grit and soul, while showcasing her sparkling soprano top notes and powerful lower register. Hector Bloggs’ booming baritone makes the whole space reverberate with Rochester’s regret and despair. Anna Sideris, Emily Hodkinson and Lawrence Thackeray offer some welcome levity as the Rivers’ family, jokingly showing off their exquisite harmonising. Steffi Fashokun’s Bertha Mason wordlessly conveys deep pain and turmoil. The small but mighty troupe of musicians (Alex Harmon, Aleem Kandour, Daniil Zemtstov, Thomas Vidal, Evangeline Tang, David Wheeler, Lewis Graham) deserve a huge round of applause for their expert performance, filling the space with beautiful, driving sound.’

★★★★
LONDON THEATRE
Chris Omaweng

‘an enthusiastic and engaging evening, which held my attention throughout despite prior familiarity with the story.’

★★★★
THE REVIEWS HUB
Phoebe Taplin

‘Contemporary dancer Steffi Fashokun gives a powerful, poignant and silently persuasive performance as the troubled and enigmatic Bertha.’

‘An imaginative production, where psychological drama is more important than externalities. Egyptian soprano Laura Mekhail, as the eponymous Jane, has a soaring, emotional range. Her radiant directness embodies Brontë’s revolutionary focus on Jane’s individual choices and experiences: “I am a free human being, with an independent will.”‘

‘Baritone Hector Bloggs makes a sympathetic and vulnerable Rochester, and his love scenes with Jane are genuinely moving.’

‘sensitively led by Kenneth Woods’

★★★★★
FAIRY POWERED PRODUCTIONS
Jackie Thornton

‘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.’

★★★★
PLANET HUGILL
Robert Hugill

‘Amazingly, the stage premiere of Joubert’s final opera, a work which has tantalised for decades. Here receiving an admirably full-blooded performance”

We must applaud Green Opera for going where no other company has dared’

‘the performances by the two leads, Laura Mekhail and Hector Bloggs were both full blooded and engaging. Mekhail brought a contained intensity to Jane, making you remember that in the book the character is fierce with sharp edges.’

‘A series of powerful character singers all made their seconds in the limelight really count.’

★★★★★
VIEW FROM THE GODS
Simon Jenner

‘A must see’

‘The sound-world’s seductive, tonal, and the reduced chamber score gleams and flickers, with some romantic heft and sharply-charactered horn, piano, and clarinet.’

‘The musicians (Alex Harmon, Aleem Kandour, Daniil Zemtstov, Thomas Vidal, Evangeline Tang, David Wheeler, Lewis Graham) are exemplary. It’s quite wonderful playing, and on occasion one is drawn just to watch them playing stage-right in an alcove.’

‘Emeline Beroud’s set design…conveys all the navigational tools of patriarchy and women’s ornamental place. But strikingly, red cords feature: often with performers pulling on main protagonists as they strain to free themselves of the gyres of early Victorian mores. And they’re strands towards the solitary figure of Bertha above on the mezzanine weaving a vast red tapestry: half Lady of Shallot, half a hopeless Penelope.’

‘if Joubert saw this performed as an opera he’d feel the lack of Bertha’s voice more acutely…Steffi Fashokun’s Bertha Mason wordlessly convey[s] trauma, dream and turmoil, and she’s superb’

‘Laura Mekhail in a high coloratura soprano with a glittering set of top-notes, unfolds Jane’s stubborn growth with a trenchant radiance; and sudden shaft of passion that’s as extreme as you could wish.’

‘Hector Bloggs’ penetrating baritone and superb diction shudders Rochester’s command, regret and fined-down, bleak despair. Bloggs possesses the right glowering presence but also vulnerability.’

‘Thackeray is excellent: a handsome domineering presence as St John Rivers’

‘a gripping romantic opera premiere emerging right out of Dalston. Arcola’s Grimeborn have scored another first with a future.’

★★★★
A YOUNGISH PERSPECTIVE

‘This contemporary operatic take on a classic story is visually rich and musically dramatic, brought to life by a talented group of young singers’

‘Soprano Laura Mekhail’s performance as Jane Eyre was an absolute highlight of the opera – in addition to her clear and sophisticated vocal performance, she brought an intense and earnest focus to the role which breathed new life into an iconic character.’

‘Baritone Hector Bloggs was compelling as Edward Rochester, and moved easily between the different facets of Rochester’s character – at times the threatening captor to his first wife, Bertha, and at times the flirt who draws Jane into their romance. Bloggs is a much younger Rochester than usual, but this does allow him to bring an earnestness to the character which is often absent in portrayals where he’s characterised as a more jaded middle-aged man. Bloggs’s voice fills the theatre powerfully during more dramatic moments, but he has a deft grasp of dynamics, and took several opportunities to shift into a much softer, more tender tone to develop Mr. Rochester’s more desolate and conflicted side.’

‘Another standout was Steffi Fashokun as Bertha Mason…a compelling, tortured presence. While the “woman in the attic” is often written off by both Mr. Rochester and many readers as a crazy woman – a burden Mr. Rochester is forced to bear – Steffi moves through scenes as a sort of tortured sprite, asking audiences to question how much her occasional outbursts are caused by any malice, and how much they might be caused by the tragedy of her situation and captivity. At times she seems to be pulled and pushed by invisible hands, calling to mind historical descriptions of witchcraft or possession, and yet her most frantic moments happen as she watches her husband slowly falling for another woman.’

© Camilla Greenwell