A passionate adaptation
Mon 8 May 2017Adapting one of the best-known and best-loved novels in the English language was always likely to be a challenge. So so did Sally Cookson, the director of the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic production of Jane Eyre, approach the challenge? By ripping up the rule book, and going back to the bare bones of the novel, to create an adaptation like no other.
As you’d expect, it wasn’t created in a conventional way. On the first day of rehearsals, Cookson says, although there was a rough structure: “there was no script, no read-through, just us as a company taking a deep breath together, making a leap into the unknown, trusting that eight weeks later, we’d have a show to perform. A lot of the scenes emerged through improvising, playing and trying out lots of different versions.”
This unusual approach didn’t come out of any lack of respect for the novel, with Cookson saying she “loves” the story. Instead, it was because: “Our job has been to turn it from a book into a piece of theatre. Essentially that means creating something new – the experience of reading a book is very different to watching a play. Rather than approach the novel as a piece of costume drama, I was keen to explore the themes and get to the heart of the story and characters in a theatrical way. I didn’t want authentic set and period costume to suffocate it, killing the essence and magic of the story.”
She admits that adapting a beloved novel is daunting: “Adapting a novel for the stage is a challenging prospect – especially when that novel is cited as many people’s favourite of all time. It is always daunting when you’re working on a story which everyone knows so well, because you want to surprise and maybe challenge people’s expectations, without losing any of the things which make them like the story in the first place.”
Cookson’s unusual approach has certainly produced an adaptation that might surprise many, featuring as it does a minimalist metal set, and sometimes anachronistic music, but it won over critics and audiences alike, selling out runs in both London and Bristol. The Mail On Sunday said it, “captures the beating heart of the novel,” the Daily Mail described it as “theatre at it’s most imaginative,” while The Observer said it was “aflame with passion.”
Jane Eyre: Monday 19 to Saturday 24 June.