Bronte – Watermill Theatre, Bagnor
Writer: Polly Teale
Director: Nancy Meckler
Reviewer: Jim Nicholson
The Public Reviews Rating: 
This is yet another very distinctive offering from Shared Experience who have produced an intense, emotional and very thought provoking piece in Polly Teale’s cleverly written ‘Bronte’.
Teale utilises factual and fictional characters to tell the story of the Bronte sisters miserable existence being continually uplifted via their imagination as characters from their novels burst forth leaving you, at least thinking, you understand what drove them to literary success.
Director Nancy Meckler has given us a non stop and very sensitive portrayal of the siblings that highlights how very different the three were. Designer Ruth Sutcliffe has provided an appropriate dark, soul destroying set with Tim Lutkin’s lighting used to great effect to bring home the difference between the girls real home life and the stories from the page.
Flora Nicholson gives an emotion charged performance as the least known sister ‘Anne’, whilst Elizabeth Carer’s ‘Emily’ leaves you in no doubt that she is the free spirit that just can not break free.
Performance of the night though comes from Kristin Atherton who, as ‘Charlotte’, may ‘tow the line’ but as the most imaginative and effective of the trio clearly has the strength and willpower to highlight the real strengths of the downtrodden female.
Mark Edel-Hunt makes a very decent job of showing just how repulsive brother ‘Branwell’ was and our characters from the books are very effectively brought to life by Frances McNamee as ‘Cathy’ and ‘Mrs. Rochester’, whilst David Fielder turns up as ‘Mr. Rochester’ as well as playing the girls hard line father and Charlotte’s eventual, but strange choice, husband ‘Curate Bell Nicholls’.
Certainly different, certainly very entertaining and certainly well worth a visit.
Photo: Robert Day – Runs until 22nd May
Tags: 2010, Anne Bronte., Bagnor, Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, David Fielder, Drama, Elizabeth Crarer, Emily Bronte, Flora Nicholson, Francis McNamee, Kristin Atherton, Mark Edel-Hunt, Nancy Meckler, Newbury, Polly Teale, Ruth Sutcliffe, Shared Experience, Tim Lutkin, Watermill Theatre
3:12 am on April 21st, 2010
Sadly, I think the above misses the point somewhat. The relationship between these siblings and their creations is deeply complex and this review is too simplistic in its assessment.