Review: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, York Theatre Royal

Deborah McAndrew's excellent adaptation of Anne Brontë's ground-breaking proto-feminist novel bears all the hallmarks of her obvious skills as an adapter for the stage.
The Tennant of Wildfell Hall.The Tennant of Wildfell Hall.
The Tennant of Wildfell Hall.

As well as being an accomplished playwright in her own right, McAndrew’s previous successes in bringing classics to the stage include David Copperfield, The Government Inspector and Oliver Twist so The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was always going to be in safe hands.

One of the challenges of adapting this particular novel is that the story is told largely through a series of letters and a journal, but McAndrew deals with this adeptly by neatly dividing the story into two distinct parts. The first focusses on the mystery surrounding Helen Graham, the enigmatic young widow who has taken up residence with her young son at the rundown estate of Wildfell Hall and the second becomes a kind of extended ‘flashback’ sequence in which the secret of Helen’s troubled past is gradually revealed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cleverly, most of what we learn about Helen in the opening scenes is through the speculation of the inquisitive locals. We meet young farmer Gilbert Markham, his indulgent mother Mrs Markham, his good-natured (and put-upon) sister Rose and narrow-minded, ale-swigging Reverend Millward and his rumour-mongering daughter Eliza.

Gilbert dismisses the gossip and once he has met Helen for himself, his fascination with her grows. Their friendship is a meeting of minds and he begins to fall in love – but as in all the best romances, there are obstacles in their way.

Much of the meat of Brontë’s extraordinarily forward-thinking observations on gender inequality is retained and rendered into sparky, witty dialogue. Director Elizabeth Newman moves the action along at a sprightly pace, while the performances from the cast of eight, most of whom play two roles, are uniformly excellent.

To May 6.

La Strada

Related topics: