A new Wuthering Heights production is currently being performed in Darmstadt, Germany:
by Emily Brontë Adapted by Thomas Birkmeier Directed by Anna Bergman Set design by Sabine Mäder. Costume design by Lane Schäfer. Choreography by Stefan Richter. Dance choreography by Nira Priore Nouak. Music/Composition by Heiko Schnurpel. Chorus master: Daniel Bengü. Video by Andreas Deinert. Dramaturgy by Carlotta Huys.
November 28 December 6,12, 20, 31 January 9, 14, 30 March 15 April 10 Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Darmstadt, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany
The bond between Catherine, the daughter of a landowner, and her adopted brother Heathcliff, a foundling from the slums of Liverpool, is characterized by profound understanding and longing. However, when Catherine decides to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton to escape the squalid conditions at their shared home, Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is so deeply hurt that he leaves the area. The loss of her beloved foster brother and closest confidant plunges Catherine into a deep crisis. But even with Heathcliff's return, now a rich young man, Catherine cannot bring herself to turn her back on Edgar, and so begins a maelstrom of revenge and dependency that destroys two families across generations. "Wuthering Heights," Emily Brontë's only novel, is now considered a classic of English literature. In this complex family saga centered on the anti-hero Heathcliff, violence and anger dominate. "Wuthering Heights" is essentially the anti-"Romeo and Juliet": The love between Cathy and Heathcliff is not a tragic, innocent, and ideal one that endures against all odds until death and transcends the boundaries of origin, but rather a love bordering on obsession and marked by rage. In her production, director Anna Bergmann explores these abysses of the human soul, which are made visible through Heathcliff, and searches for their origins – including in societal structures.
Im ersten Teil fügt sich Bergmann widerspruchslos in dieses laute Pathos. Wir sehen in einem Vorgriff Heathcliff an Catherines Grab selbige verfluchen, ihren Geist als Hologramm hereinschweben. Wir sehen grimmige Riesenköpfe mit Sensen eine freudlose viktorianische Welt markieren, aus der es kein Entkommen gibt, begleitet von der drohenden Elster. Nebel und Regen verdüstern den Raum, einzelne Figuren performen Popsongs, aber in Moll. Sie sind archaisch gekleidet, ihre Gesichter weiß geschminkt, ihre Endkonsonanten gleichermaßen feucht betont – nur bei Emily Klinge als flatterhafter Catherine kommt bisweilen rebellisches Charisma zum Vorschein. Die opernhaft humorlose Wucht ist unerträglich, aber auch effektvoll. Nach der 38-minütigen Pause leuchtet dann sofort ein, warum sie so lang war, dann ist nämlich alles anders. Bergmann hat ihre große Stärke ausgepackt: den ästhetischen Totalbruch, aufgehängt an dem Plotpoint, dass Jahre vergangen sind und Heathcliff wohlhabend und zivilisierter nach Wuthering Heights zurückkehrt. In Darmstadt erfährt die Figur außerdem eine orlandoeske Geschlechter- und Zeitenwandlung: Flora Udochi Egbonu hat die Brustplatte abgelegt, die Haare aufgemacht und ein kurzes giftgelbes Kleid angezogen. Heathcliff ist jetzt eine sexy Rächerin mit Peitsche und singt keck "The Kill" von den Dresden Dolls. Auch alle anderen haben mindestens ein Jahrhundert gut gemacht. Ein zweistöckiges Haus fährt aus dem Bühnenboden, es gibt farbige Latexkostüme und hochgestylte Frisuren, komödiantisch koordinierte Catfights und Kotzorgien, und die Dienstbot:innen der Anwesen Hintleys und Edgars telefonieren einander very British Weisheiten durch. Das zuvor vorbildlich statische Ensemble wechselt die Spielweise und führt den Text nun genüsslich als campy 80er-Jahre-B-Movie mit einer Prise Pollesch vor. Der Sinn dieser stilistischen Gegenüberstellung darf natürlich in Frage gestellt werden. Muss er aber nicht. Denn so macht diese "Sturmhöhe" richtig Spaß. Glück gehabt. (Martin Thomas Pesl) (Translation)
We agree mostly with what Country Life has to say about Wuthering Heights 2026: I get it. Really, I do. Literature imprints upon my heart as much as the next person. I am an author after all, and a romantic one at that. I am prone to attaching myself to lines from poetry or prose in ways that sometimes make me believe they are speaking directly to me. I have even been tempted to tattoo them onto my skin, a permanent etching as if that might mean more, that I might be able to absorb them entirely. And yet, I cannot bring myself to really believe that Emily Brontë, an exceptional woman who took huge, beautiful risks in her work, would really be turning over in her grave at the very idea of Jacob Elordi tightening breathless Barbie’s corset. (...) I do not think that any of us are able to accurately guess what Brontë’s reaction might be to any of the many adaptations of her work. However, I do wonder whether she might have been just a little excited by what contemporary female artists are now making of her work and what women are now allowed to conceive and create. Perhaps she might even be delighted that her story was still being consumed by new audiences, generation after generation falling for new Heathcliffs and new Cathys while the moors remain the same — wild, barren, hostile places within which dark and all-consuming love stories still take place. I cannot bring myself to feel too concerned that younger audiences may see this film and consider it the definitive Wuthering Heights (although I highly doubt that will be the case). (...) Whether you agree with her or not on her casting choices, this much is true: it is all art. When Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights, I would be surprised if she viewed it as a sacred text designed to be preserved forever. When an artist puts work out into the world they release it. It no longer belongs to them; not really. You cannot manage the way people hear your words, view your images or listen to your songs. You cannot control their emotions or correct them. You create, you perfect — and then you let it go to take on new meaning. If you’re lucky it resonates not just with one person, but with many over generations; perhaps even a century and a half later you will still inspire people to make something new. And maybe you wouldn’t like it, but it’s all art, and nothing is sacred. May we always be surprised, shocked, appalled and bewildered by art. I hope we’re having this conversation again in another 100 years and another 100 after that. Wuthering Heights is ours, Fennell’s and of course, Charli XCX’s to do with what we please and if some people don’t like it, the original is waiting untouched for them to return to, anytime they like. (Laura Kay)
Many other websites still repeat the same yadda-yadda about Wuthering Heights 2026: Vanidad, L'Officiel, Startefacts, TV Central, Hola, Tuttotek... The Yorkshire Post goes to Lothersdale: "The remote Yorkshire village which inspired Charlotte Brontë" While working as a governess for some “unmanageable cubs” in 1839, Charlotte Brontë lived in Lothersdale at Stone Gappe. Her employer, the then owner of the three-storey five bay property south of Stansfield Brow which dates to 1725, Charlotte’s is said to have resembled her character Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre. (Stuart Minting)
Also in The Yorkshire Post, an inspiring story with some connection to the Brontës that you may not know: So too undiscovered stories of charity when I was researching the Brontës for what for me must be the highlight of the year to welcome the Queen to open the Brontë birthplace in Thornton saved for the nation and now celebrated as the humble beginnings of greatness. Who would have thought when I penned the phrase Be More Brontë to encourage the same resolute determination in young people that three budding writers had shown that Camilla would be the first person to write those words within it’s walls? Giving from others bought it for future generations but also brought stories of giving during the Brontë sisters lifetimes to the fore. For example, did you know that the ruined farmhouse at Top Withins that inspired Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was actually a part of charitable giving in its own right even before the three sisters and their brother roamed the moors? Money from it’s rent fed and clothed poor children. And now in modern day it forms the centre piece for Wuthering Heights day when charities benefit from the recreation of Kate Bush’s famous dance on the birthday she shares with Emily Brontë and is celebrated each year on July 30th. Add to that the fact that Patrick’s Brontë’s first major curacy at St Peter’s Church in Hartshead, just a few days before Christmas, handed out thick wooden fabric to the women to sew warm clothes for their children particularly during the luddite uprisings when cottage weavers were losing their homes and their livelihood and you will see why charity was a centre piece of giving as much then as now. (Christa Aykroyd)
The Brontës may feel mythic now, but artifacts like this demonstrate that behind every great work is a human life that once held fear, hope, pain, and passion. (Emily Chan) Contrasting my previous picks is “Jane Eyre,” a classic by Charlotte Brontë that has sat on my shelf for three years and I have attempted to read twice (third time’s the charm?). Jane Eyre tells the story of its namesake in first-person, beginning with Jane’s abusive childhood and staying with her throughout her education and early adult life. I picked this one up again and found that I had a much better grasp on the language and concept of the book, and decided to try it once more. (Beatrice Cosgrove) Gramilano interviews the opera singer Ekaterina Bakanova:
What is your favourite film? Jane Eyre and Inception.
Espido Freire, in the radio show Cuerpos Especiales (Europa FM, Spain), analyses the song Tu Cuerpo en Braille by Nil Moliner: Espido Freire está feliz con el tema que le ha tocado esta semana en Cuerpos especiales. La escritora se ha puesto romántica al analizar Tu cuerpo en braille de Nil Moliner, una canción a la que encuentra bastantes paralelismos con Cumbres Borrascosas de Emilie (sic) Brönte. El protagonista musical es el primo hermano de Heathcliff. "Los dos se quedaron traumatizados en la misma noche de tormenta", ha explicado. (Translation)
Keighley News reports the top 10 Keighley-area attractions according to Tripadvisor which incldude the Brontë Parsonage Museum, the Brontë waterfall, Top Withens and Haworth Parish Church. As we published yesterday, we have a new Wuthering soap for all your soapy interests:
Soap & Clay Out on the wily windy moors...An ode to Brontë and Bush! A little black slither of our Lady Macbeth soap becomes The Heights on a green clay, heather-topped moor. With a pomander scent of Patchouli, Orange, Black Peper and Clove. With extra virgin olive oil to ward of the effects of windy moorland.
Ingredients and information Soap for Face, Hands and Body
Ingredients: Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Sunflowerseedate, Sodium Rapseedate, Sodium Olivate, Sodium Castorate, Pogostemen Cablin, Illite, Kaolinite and Montmorillonite (French Green Clay), Olea Europea, Citrus sinensis, Kaolin (Dead Sea Clay), Spirulina platensis, Eugenia caryophyllus, Calluna vulgaris.
Allergens: Citral, Linalool, Limonene, citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, isoeugenol.
Also contains tiny Lady Macbeth inbed: see ingredients and allergens on our Lady Macbeth page.
65-75g approx
Store in cool dry conditions before use and keep me dry between washes to help me last longer. Best used within 10 months of purchase.
For external, rinse-off use only. Discontinue if skin irritation occurs. Our soaps are handmade in our home soapery and we cannot guarantee that they are free from allergens. Not suitable for under 3’s.
Muse reviews Diane Arbus's Sanctum Sanctorum exhibition in London. ‘Sanctum Sanctorum’ is defined as a sacred room or inner chamber: a place of inviolable privacy, hinting at the focus of the exhibition. The title reminds me of the passage in Brontë’s Jane Eyre, when the titular character refers to "the sanctum of the schoolroom", a place where Miss Temple offers her warmth and kindness; the room acts as a moral refuge in an otherwise oppressive environment. (Alice Culkin)
Tell us three things about yourself . . . [...] I love to read. My mother taught me to read when I was very young, at four or five years old, and reading has influenced my playing. Playing a song, or a guitar or banjo solo is a lot like telling a story. A few of my favourite books I've read and reread throughout my life: The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis; The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; Orthodoxy, and Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; Lilith, and Phantastes by George MacDonald; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue; The War of Art by Steven Pressfield; If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. (Alan Corr)
Verve Books [...] Despite the 1965 setting, the eerie atmosphere and fog-covered town feels more reminiscent of the misty scenes of older gothic classics like Wuthering Heights or Rebecca. Howarth has created a gorgeous yet tense tale of buried secrets. (Rosie Ofori Ward)
A contributor to Varsity recommends a few local places (in Cambridge) in which to buy Christmas presents. The first spot on my list is Soap and Clay. Located just along from Magdalene, the shop stocks the cutest art pieces, alongside homemade soap and adorable felt animals, none of which will break the bank. For parents or older relatives, soap and bath products are always a safe bet for a present, while Soap and Clay’s special literature-inspired soaps like Lady Macbeth or Wuthering Heights are the perfect gift for an Engling friend or somebody who loves to read. (Ellie Buckley) A columnist from LatFem (in Spanish) argues that most things written by women have elements of horror and quotes from Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights.Kate Bush hizo algo similar en Wuthering Heights, la primera canción de The Kick [Inside], su álbum debut de 1978. La letra está inspirada en Cumbres Borrascosas. “Tengo tanto frío, dejame entrar en tu ventana”, “Demasiado tiempo deambulo por la noche”, “Estoy volviendo a casa para marchitarme”, canta con una rareza inquietante, repleta de progresiones armónicas inusuales, con frases irregulares y largas. Es un fantasma que reclama, que insiste, como hacen los fantasmas. La artista inglesa escribió eso en una sola noche, a los 18 años. (Daniela Pasik) (Translation)
This collection of essays emerged from the collaborative efforts of three Brazilian research networks studying English-language literature, culminating in the symposium " O Período Vitoriano: rastros literários" held at the I CIELLE (International Congress of Foreign Language and Literature Studies) in 2019 at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande.
O Período Vitoriano:
Rastros literários e desdobramentosEdited by Sandra Sirangelo Maggio and Valter Henrique de Castro Fritsch Editora ZOUK ISBN: 978-65-5778-130-2 2024
A obra O Período Vitoriano: rastros literários e desdobramentos, organizada pelos pesquisadores Sandra Sirangelo Maggio e Valter Henrique Fritsch, mergulha profundamente na intrincada teia da literatura vitoriana, revelando suas nuances e complexidades em meio ao contexto social, político e cultural do século XIX britânico. Essa coletânea oferece uma abordagem meticulosa das obras e temas que caracterizaram a literatura da época, apresentando renomados autores como Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë e Mary Shelley. Com vinte e quatro capítulos elaborados com rigor acadêmico por pesquisadores de destaque, a obra ressalta o papel da literatura como um espelho fiel das tensões e contradições da sociedade vitoriana. Cada capítulo constitui uma janela para um aspecto distinto da literatura vitoriana, investigando desde as questões filosóficas e morais até as nuances do romance e do gótico. Os autores exploram adaptações, ficção derivativa e temas que ressoam na literatura contemporânea, cinema e outras formas de expressão artística. Fruto de uma colaboração entre o Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da UFRGS e a Editora Zouk, este trabalho transcende o escopo meramente acadêmico, constituindo-se como um convite à reflexão intelectual pelos corredores da literatura vitoriana, onde o passado dialoga de forma cativante e elucidativa com o presente. This is the list of the Brontë-related essays in the collection: A reinvenção de Jane Eyre no graphic novel Jane, de Aline Brosh McKenna by Débora Almeida de Oliveira Marionette: o entrelugar da mulher crioula em Wide Sargasso Sea by Deborah Mondadori Simionato and Marcela Zaccaro Chisté. The influence of water and air in Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre by Caroline Moura A coloniser’s trauma and possible dialogues in Villette by Alan Noronha
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