Wuthering Heights at NT

Initial Thought of The Play:

• Takes form of a Greek Tragedy by having the character 'The Moor' take form of the Chorus that would traditionally be in a Greek Tragedy

• Satire used to depict the bourgeoise elements to the play.

• Utilised Emily Bronte's poetry was turned into songs that were sung throughout the play.

• The storytelling element was lost through over use of music.

• Very centered around Cathy and Heathcliff

• Interesting physical interpretations of characters, particularly Isabella.

This is was a very interesting interpretation of the play and very different to our interpretation. The first main difference was that Nelly wasn't present in the play, but instead they had the character 'The Moor' who had the same lines as Nelly. 'The Moor' was more of a metaphorical interpretation of Nelly. It made Nelly/The Moor have this omnipresent feel, as she was always their with an ensemble around her. I thought it was so interesting how Emma Rice shifted the story into a Greek Tragedy, as I wouldn't necessarily say the story follows that structure. That's why I don't think I particularly enjoyed this version as the structure was disrupted. Many of out key scenes weren't even included and it just followed Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship through a Greek Tragedy. So I didn't feel the play did service to the other character's. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the physicality in this version, particularly Isabella's. The physicality was large and over-exaggerated but suited the comedic elements of Isabella. This portrayal enhanced the difference between Cathy and Isabella. I also really enjoyed the movement of the ensemble and how they moved props and parts of the set with purpose. This is something I'm going to take inspiration from as I have been struggling in rehearsals how to move props with intentions and not in a robotic rehearsed way. Everything was moved with character, so in rehearsal I will ask myself questions about the prop I am moving and why.

I had hesitation seeing another production of Wuthering Heights as I didn't want it to sway my opinion and disrupt my own journey of exploration. But I saw as it was such a different interpretation and Nelly wasn't in it so it wouldn't send me into a wave of doubt about my characterisation. I found it really useful for me to see as it provided me with further understanding of the play, and different outlooks can make you discover particularly elements you may have never noticed. It really did broaden my knowledge of the play, and as the storyteller of the play I need to know it inside out. Seeing the play also made me be aware of some mistakes they made with the story so we didn't do the same, and I felt this production had a slight problem with pacing, which we have had also. As it is such a rich story with many character's it can become quite long-winded but what I think will save this for us is having those ultra-dynamic scenes that have a lot of drama, which this production left out. Scenes with fights and quite dramatic moments re-engage the audience as they are caught off guard and I felt this lacked in the play. I really enjoyed how Cathy stayed on stage after her death like a ghost, as it made me think about the ways Cathy is echoed though our play in a more metaphorical sense.

Watching this play did provide me with further understanding of Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship, and seeing it through a Greek Tragedy lens it heightens their flaws and exposes them. Cathy's mistreatment of Heathcliff was a major theme in this interpretation. Another thing I noticed was the absence of Nelly did allow to expose Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship and show it raw. So I am really glad I got to see that as it made me create more detailed and layered opinions of their relationship from Nelly's perspective as their story is so exposed.