Review: JANE EYRE at A Noise Within

Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 gothic love story “Jane Eyre” is a classic unrivaled, widely considered one of the greatest novels in the English language. It has inspired generations of lovers and dreamers and been adapted into film, television, opera, and theater as well as reinterpretations in written form. The play by Elizabeth Williamson, directed by Geoff Elliott, now at A Noise Within in Pasadena, is a complicated and creative adaptation of a complex and somewhat meandering novel. Unfortunately, the production suffers from a distinct lack of energy and a tonal inconsistency that is hard to reconcile.

Following the mishaps and misfortunes of the title character, the show tracks plain, independent Jane Eyre (portrayed capably by Jeanne Syquia), an orphan who as an adult is hired to be governess to a precocious young teen named Adele (Stella Bullock) at shadowy and spooky Thornfield Hall where she clashes with the estate’s master, the enigmatic, charismatic Mr. Rochester (Frederick Stuart). Throw in a housekeeper (Deborah Strang) who may or may not know the secrets of Thornfield Hall and a ghostly presence that treads its corridors, and Jane finds she may be in over her head just when she thought she might have found a home.

The gothic and menacing setting by scenic designer Frederica Nascimento’s inspired staging and the moody, dramatic lighting by Ken Booth are effective, but they aren’t matched by inert direction by the usually spot-on Elliott, which is compromised by humor that sometimes borders on camp, putting it at odds with the rest of the production. It’s jarring and takes power from the story, undermining its starkness. JANE EYRE supposed to be creepy, not campy. And while Williamson’s adaptation cleverly condenses the story into a palatable 2+-hour runtime, the first-person narrative doesn’t smoothly translate to the stage with Syquia responsible for delivering copious and unwieldy exposition that would be better served as story. Likely because of this condensation, it’s never believable how Jane comes to love Edward nor how Edward falls for Jane, which is, of course, the heart of the story.

Syquia is dour as needed, while Stuart comes across as little salty when he’s supposed to be imposing, fearsome. Trisha Miller as socialite Blanche Ingram (think an 18th-century Veruca Salt) and Riley Shanahan as an Englishman from the West Indies do offer pops of color without slipping into exaggeration.

While it is helpful that the show has been concentrated, it actually might work better at two and a half hours, just a little bit longer, giving the story some room to expand organically. That said, it would also need an injection of energy — not jolting, incongruous humor, just a breath of life.

Photos by Craig Schwartz

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