Brontë

“Time wears away… I feel as though we were all buried here. I long to travel, to work, to live a life of action”

Polly Teale’s adaptation of the lives of the Brontë sisters is an intricate story of ambition, love, life, and loss. The dynamics of the four Brontë siblings—Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell—are complicated yet compelling as the sisters explore their identities as female authors in an unaccepting Victorian society and Branwell crumbles under the pressure of great expectations. Charlotte wants to be known and admired through her writing, Emily writes as a deeply personal, intimate exercise of self-expression, and Anne believes she can write as a tool to bring awareness to social injustices. Branwell, raised as the shining star of the family, falls victim to alcoholism and cannot keep a job.

The strength of the characters and the actors portraying them keep the viewer enthralled throughout the first act, despite a rather slow-pace and elaborate plot. Anneka Brownsberger as Charlotte captures the struggles of being the eldest daughter in a performance that brings dimension to Charlotte’s infamously tense familial and romantic relationships, her high-strung moments balanced with scenes of whimsy and care. Emilia Stubbs Gregoriou plays Emily as haunted and fiercely independent, depicting intense emotions and deep connections to herself, nature, and her family while upholding the aura of mystery commonly associated with Emily Brontë. Rebecca Harris, playing Anne, is a fitting portrayal of the stereotypical “youngest sibling,” who brings a sense of optimism and hope to the show whenever on stage. Theo Rule as the Brontë brother Branwell is energetic and chock full of charisma, making the character near impossible to hate despite his many misdeeds. The actors’ chemistry with each other makes watching them perform immersive and captivating.

The Brontë siblings are joined by Gregory George as their father Patrick Brontë, a commanding force on stage. Georgia Jarrett and Theo Hatzistergos pop up as famous Brontë characters when the sisters write, often matching the sisters’ dialogue with impressive synchronization. Jarrett portrays Cathy/Bertha, and Hatzistergos plays Heathcliffe, Rochester, and Hungtington. Hatzistergos also performs Heger and Nichols.

Act two eliminates both issues with pacing and story. Well-timed humor and fitting scenes of devastating sorrow work simultaneously to create a wonderful act, and a standout performance by Hatzistergos as the delightfully expressive Bell Nichols was a highlight of the production. One line, said by Branwell, encapsulates the comedic side of the show: “I knew what it was like to love a beautiful woman, but she had a husband, and he had a gun.”

Creative set and lighting design, done by Tom Fahy and Michael Schell, respectively, brought dimension to a typically plain home, with a closed side room that lights up to show the bed and people inside, and a starry night sky seen through the windows and doors.

The show closes with a deluge of book pages falling onto the stage from above, making the story about the Brontë sisters who wrote some of the most passionate fiction of all time one to remember.

Livia Greenberg