9 Feb 2019
In Polly Teale’s play, the year is 1845 and the once prodigal son,
Branwell Brontë, returns home in disgrace, dismissed from his job and
plagued by alcohol and drug addiction. Meanwhile his sisters endure
their restricted and isolated existence by channelling their intellect,
frustrations and buried desires into the creative furnace of their
writing. The external lives of the Brontë sisters were dreary,
repetitive, uneventful, and yet their inner lives were the opposite. Teale dramatises the collision between drab domesticity and unfettered,
soaring imagination, showing us the real and internal worlds at once and
making visible what is hidden inside. The familiar characters from
their novels are woven into the action, haunting their creators and
serving as embodiments of all that is suppressed. While the sisters cook
and clean and sew there exists another world full of passion and fury
in an ingenious and gripping interpretation of the Brontë family legend.
We enjoyed this production with Helen and Frankie Bailey. Such an amazing evening of live theatre. Solid performances from a very good cast. Great staging, costumes and fabulous direction from Di Evans. This has to be one of the best pieces we have seen on the Island!
We enjoyed this production with Helen and Frankie Bailey. Such an amazing evening of live theatre. Solid performances from a very good cast. Great staging, costumes and fabulous direction from Di Evans. This has to be one of the best pieces we have seen on the Island!
10 out of 10
