EMMA RICE’S STAGE ADAPTATION OF EMILY BRONTE’S CLASSIC NOVEL WUTHERING HEIGHTS @ ROSLYN PACKER THEATRE

FIVE STARS

Remember Wuthering Heights? Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel about two families of the landed gentry on Yorkshire moors? The master of Wuthering Heights adopts an orphan and names him Heathcliff. Oh yes, Heathcliff. Now you remember. The boy is not of the same class and race as the gentry. That’s when the trouble starts. The novel is loaded with social issues. This epic of love, revenge and redemption finally ends with some peace and kindness. But it takes a long time to get to the peace. The moors are riddled with death and destruction.

Now we have the marvellous musical of Wuthering Heights. It’s an adaptation by Lisa McLean and Andrew Kay for a co-production by The National Theatre, Bristol’s Old Vic and York Theatre Royal. Emma Rice is the director. She with all the other creatives involved have turned the long gothic novel into a theatrical experience. There’s Ian Ross’ original music score, a three-piece band and a cast of 11. There’s terrific singing and dancing and lots of flashing lights.

Who would have thought the long and complicated story of two feuding clans could be so much fun. The novel is confusing with lots of characters, some with similar names. This musical version helps us remember who-is-who. One early scene is of someone reading the novel and getting muddled. Easy to fix. The woodland characters hold up little blackboards with the characters’ names and who they are. Once so many of the characters die, again they hold up blackboards with the names of all the dead. It’s all quite amusing.

There are also the stern moments, mostly presented in monologues, as when Heathcliff speaks of his pain at the subjugation he endured as a child in Wuthering Heights.  This singing, dancing, musical Wuthering Heights is a delight.  A National Theatre, Wise Children, Bristol  Old Vic and York Theatre Royal co-production,  based on the novel by Emily Bronte, adapted and directed by Emma Rice, is only playing a short season, playing until the 15th February 2025.

https://www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2025/wuthering-heightsnte

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