Review: Jane Eyre

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Jane Eyre.
My Mum was really eager to see Jane Eyre, as it was a book she has studied at school and had really enjoyed. I knew little about both the show and the original book, but had high hopes from what had been described to me. Luckily, this was indeed an excellent choice. It's a really unique and quirky production and its creativity is something which is quite rare. Part of this quirkiness is that Jane Eyre relies heavily on physical theatre, something which I'm not always a fan of, but it worked well here. The story follows an orphan, who despite facing horrific cruelty by her adopted family and by her teachers at school, overcomes what everyone thought of her and becomes a governess. The show follows a large portion of Jane Eyre's life and by the end of the show you feel like you have been on a journey. It's a very inspiring tale and one I found to be extremely moving. The cast are extraordinary and cannot be faulted in anyway. With the exclusion of two cast members, they all played multiple roles. Multi-roleing can become difficult, but I thought they did a terrific job at differentiating characters. Each and every cast members showed good characterisations and a large variety of talent. Jane Eyre features music, which I thought was a really nice addition. It was especially good that the decision was made to have a live band onstage, as opposed to just using pre-recorded music. In addition to this, the shows singer Melanie Marshall had an absolutely phenomenal voice! Lighting, costume and sound design were all brilliant, I have no complaints in any of those aspects. The set design didn't particularly wow me, but it was still able to serve its purpose well. My only criticism for the show is that it is slightly too long (three hours). Without a doubt, this production could have easily been shortened by at least half an hour. Due to the length of the show my concentration wavered a little, which was a shame. There are some who like long plays, but I personally feel they should be kept to a maximum of 2 and a half hours (I'm fine with musicals being a bit longer).

The featured star of Jane Eyre is, drum roll please... NADIA CLIFFORD!

Nadia gives an absolutely outstanding performance as Jane Eyre! I'm not 100% sure if this correct, but I can't actually remember Nadia leaving the stage at any point throughout the entire show. It's incredible that she would have the stamina to do this demanding role for three hours (especially as this was a two show day). 

Now for my final verdict on Jane Eyre. I give Jane Eyre...

This rating was easy for me to give. It's not quite a 5 star, but it's miles above a 3 star! 

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer