Broadway World reviews Brontë Sister House Party. If you’ve ever wondered what it may be like to party with the Brontё sisters, get ready to sip on a lot of cordials, margaritas, and rosè and experience an evening like no other at Nu Sass Productions’ Brontё Sister House Party. Join Emily (Leah Ly), Charlotte (Aubri O’Connor), and Anne (Rose Hahn) Brontё, alongside their brother Branwell (Ty Edwards) and some other very special guests, as they throw yet another house party that they hope will help them escape the Purgatorial time loop in which they are trapped. Many, many years after their untimely deaths, the Brontё sisters have found themselves stuck in Purgatory by the Lavender Witch of Gondol (a creation from their own imaginations), which requires them to throw a party every single night until they are able to reach The Point of Celebratory Reverence; except they don’t know what that requires, or do they? In order to gain approval from the Lavender Witch of Gondol, the Brontёs turn to some special guests to to keep their party attendees entertained: Wuthering Heights’ Cathy (Brenna Horner), Jane Eyre’s Helen Burns (Alyssa Nolan), and famed English singer Kate Bush (Madeline Marie). Through a wide variety of musical numbers, their stories are told (and hopefully earn audience approval) and the complexities of everyone’s lives are exposed. Do they ever make it out of this time loop? You’ll just have to see for yourselves! Charlotte’s (Aubri O’Connor) expectations of perfection and anxiety surrounding the party are palpable. O’Connor’s portrayal of the eldest sister is brilliant and because of this, I was able to empathize with her desire to protect her sisters, reconnect with her love, and remain optimistic that this time loop will eventually end. I commend O’Connor for her raw emotion and dedication to the role - it is a performance that has left an impression on me. In contrast to Charlotte’s range of emotion, Emily (Leah Ly) is pessimistic and remains that way through most of the show, even though she may know the way out. Whether that level of pessimism was the original intention or not, Ly’s performance remains at one level - always a bit mopey and apathetic. More depth to Emily’s character would have been an added bonus to this production. Rose Hahn’s portrayal of Anne was the standout performance for me. Already dubbed as the token comedic relief, Hahn brought a sense of whimsy and optimism to the stage that was so desperately needed. The depth of Anne’s character is an important part of the plot, as it becomes clear that she is more than just quirky and funny and she has learned so much about herself during this experience, and Hahn was able to demonstrate this multi-faceted character arc spectacularly. I couldn’t take my eyes off Hahn between her funny yet subtle mannerisms, incredible comedic timing, and ability to play a distinct variety of characters with ease. Branwell (Ty Edwards), the sole man character, was initially alluded to as being difficult, which proved true in the end. Edwards brought me a slight sense of optimism, hopeful that Branwell may redeem himself, but by the second act, he was the stereotypical angry man that has been seen on stage time and time again. Looking as though she could have been plucked directly from the recent Wuthering Heights film, Brenna Horner was an exquisite Cathy. Horner’s characterization made it clear that Cathy was sick and tired of the antics from the sisters and their parties. As a friend of the Lavender Witch of Gondol herself who had shed some light on the situation at hand, Cathy’s little nuggets of extra knowledge were subtly demonstrated throughout the show - all thanks to the intentional decisions made by Horner. The last guests of the party are the unlikely duo of Helen Burns (Alyssa Nolan) and Kate Bush (Madeline Marie), and Nolan and Marie have such great chemistry onstage that makes you forget that there’s no reason for these characters to be friends. Marie does the majority of the live singing in the show, and her unique, soft, and beautifully sung musical numbers are a fun twist. Nolan’s vocal performance was incredibly fun and wonderfully executed, and it was just what the show needed. And while I still may not fully understand the brief song written by Burns and Bush in a bathroom, I enjoyed their characters a lot. Written with a run time of 1.5-2 hours, Nu Sass’ 2.5 hour production was definitely on the long side, especially when sitting in an un-airconditioned storefront in the middle of a DC summer. Without knowing which creative liberties and intentional decisions were made by director Kathleen Barth, it’s hard to say where time could have been made up. The last 10-20 minutes of the show felt like the audience’s personal time-loop, as all the characters onstage chatted over each other, just like at a real party. However, party chatter such as that did not translate well to the stage and left me wondering why the show was still going on towards the end. Overall, I enjoyed Barth’s direction, especially given the parameters of the unique theatre space. I can see where this show would be tricky to direct, and I commend Barth on accepting the challenge! I greatly enjoyed the costume design by Lanae Sterrett, giving each of the Brontё sisters (and the rest of the cast as well) the perfect costumes to fit their personalities in this modern day and age. The set design by Maggie Troutman combined with the prop design by Roo Sultan literally and figuratively set the stage for this unique show, and they made the whole theatre space immersive, which was a great touch when trying to make the audience feel that they are part of this party. Connor Lugo-Harris did a great job with the sound design, especially being the in-house Alexa that was genuinely a crucial piece of the show! Major kudos to the whole creative team! Nu Sass Productions’ Brontё Sister House Party is a fun night out and a great way to spend an evening in this last part of summer. There are a variety of special performances coming up, including a free performance on September 8th during Art All Night sponsored by Van Ness Main Street, and they are all worth checking out. I’m eager to see what else Nu Sass Productions has in store this year! (Abby Korb)
LBC has an article on the plans for a wind farm at the heart of Brontë Country and how the locals (and visitors, we would add) are against it. Walking in Bronte country on the Moors above Haworth is like walking in one of the famous sisters’ novels. But the landscape that inspired Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, a story revived in the latest Hollywood film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, is under threat, according to some local residents. Thirty-four wind turbines, each one standing at 200 metres tall, are being planned for construction on Crow Hill on the Moors here. Nick Makinnon’s home sits on part of the Bronte walk, taking in the stunning views of the dramatic scenery. He is among a large group in the surrounding area who are campaigning against these plans. “It’s a special protection area for enlisted birds, it’s a conservation area and it’s the inspiration for the Bronte sisters” Nick explained. “So on those three axes, it’s the worst site in England.” A spokesperson for Calderdale Energy Park told LBC: “Our assessment work to date concludes that Top Withens (the farmhouse that inspired Wuthering Heights) and its Brontë associations would remain intact, with no harm to its heritage significance. “The nearest turbine would be more than 800 metres away and positioned beyond intervening landform, limiting its prominence in views from the site.” To that, Nick said this goes much deeper…literally. “Amazingly, there’s only one site in England where you get a peat landslide known as a ‘bog burst’, where the bog explodes under pressure.” Nick pointed out. “The only place it happens in England is on Crow Hill. The developers of the Wind Farm have very recently decided it needs to go over that area.” In response to Nick's comments, a spokesperson for Calderdale Energy Park told LBC: “Detailed peat, ground condition and stability assessments are ongoing, and the findings will inform the project's final design. “The design has already evolved through two stages of peat probing and hydrological surveys, moving infrastructure away from deeper peat and adjusting track alignments to follow shallower corridors, with floating tracks proposed in suitable locations to avoid cutting into peat altogether.” Around 80,000 visitors come to the area each year, many wanting to see the history of the Brontes. Rebecca Yorke, the Director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, said if this energy park were to go ahead, it would “change the landscape forever". “It would be very mercenary to say it would have an impact on tourism; we don’t know if it would stop people coming here,” she said. “But what we do know is that their experience would be very different. That landscape would not be the same, the wildlife wouldn’t be there. "To walk those moors is like walking in the Brontes' imagination. You can’t separate the landscape from their writing.” (Alex Taylor-Brown)
Wide Sargasso Sea feels like it’s in conversation with Edward Long’s The History of Jamaica. He goes off on white women in the Caribbean. How the white woman is this feral creature, she may be tainted, possibly insane, certainly full of wanton lust. My theory is that Charlotte Brontë read it, and hence we get the madwoman in the attic, who’s from Jamaica. Brontë wouldn’t have known a thing about Jamaica. Her only source would have been written material, and the only written material I know of from that period would be Edward Long’s History. So if you’re Jean Rhys, not only are your characters these women, but you’re also that woman. And I think she felt driven to give that woman a voice and agency. People think she only did that in Voyage in the Dark or Wide Sargasso Sea, but she did it in all her books. (Nick Hilden)
Just one day before, the new London production of Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre. The Musical, another student production (with the lazy, unavoidable AI poster), opens in Tomball, TX:
Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon Books and Additional Lyrics by John Caird Lone Star College - Tomball Campus - Performing Arts Center August 27, 28, and 29, 2026, 7:00 PM August 29 2:00PM
The epic story of Jane Eyre, told alongside a gorgeous musical score, is on the Lone Star College - Tomball stage starting August 27 - 29! We’d love for the Tomball community to come on out and enjoy a remarkable evening. Jane Eyre tells the story of an orphaned child who, after experiencing great adversity, comes face-to-face with the power of forgiveness. Through many colorful characters and incredible writing, the audience journeys with her and is the ultimate witness to the transformational power of friendship and real love. This larger-than-life story will be performed by members of the LSC-Tomball Artist Development program alongside members of the Tomball community.
The Fan Carpet shares 'Five Things [They] Learned at the Jane Eyre Rehearsal Day'.
1. This production has been decades in the making For producer Adam, bringing Jane Eyre to the UK is much more than another production. Having first fallen in love with the musical as a young theatre fan in Toronto before seeing it on Broadway, he spent years hoping to one day help bring it to British audiences. That passion was evident from the moment he welcomed the media into rehearsals, making it clear this is very much a labour of love. 2. Jane's voice belongs to the whole company Perhaps the most fascinating creative decision is the production's ensemble-led approach. Rather than limiting the narration to Jane herself, the entire company shares responsibility for telling her story. As John Caird explained, Charlotte Brontë's novel is written almost entirely from Jane's perspective, and this theatrical device allows that first-person narration to remain central while creating something uniquely suited to the stage. 3. Casting wasn't just about finding great singers One theme emerged repeatedly throughout our conversations. This company wasn't assembled simply because its members have exceptional voices. Co-director Megan McGinnis explained that every performer needed to be an outstanding storyteller capable of carrying both dialogue and music with equal conviction. Watching rehearsals, it quickly became clear why that mattered. Every member of the ensemble contributes to telling Jane's journey. 4. The children are central to the story Many productions might have asked adults to portray Jane as a child. Instead, this production places genuine young performers at the heart of its opening chapters. Emily-Rose Samuel and Poppy Jason share the roles of Young Jane and Adèle, bringing an authenticity that immediately grounds Jane's early experiences. As the creative team explained, seeing Jane's childhood through the eyes of a real child was considered essential to the emotional impact of the story. 5. Respecting Charlotte Brontë doesn't mean avoiding change One thing became clear throughout the afternoon. Nobody involved is trying to recreate Charlotte Brontë's novel word for word. Instead, every creative decision has been made with the same goal: preserving the heart of Jane Eyre while allowing musical theatre to tell the story in its own language. Whether through the ensemble narration, the intimate staging or the symbolic design, this production appears determined to honour the novel while embracing everything theatre can uniquely offer.
Victorian Psycho is an odd film that I never really felt knew how funny, tonally offbeat, or scary it wanted to be. There’s a commitment from the cast to make this ‘Norman Bates’ crossed with Jane Eyre work, but instead of a successful transfusion of genre, it’s just a bit odd. (Dylan Blight) Wrexham interviews The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever organiser Moira Gleed. Hundreds flocked to Plas Newydd, Llangollen, on June 20, to take part in The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever. Organised by Moira Gleed and her daughter Rowen, attendees donned red dresses and outfits after Kate Bush’s iconic look in the Wuthering Heights 1978 music video to learn and record the song’s dance routine. The event was open to those of all experience and the practice in the morning was led by two local choreographers: Karen Lyon and Sarah Bright. We’ve recently caught up with Moira Gleed to chat about her experience of this event. 250 tickets were sold, and they sold out within days of being advertised. Moira said she’d never have dreamt such a fantastic opening. “It exceeded expectations, exceeded hope.”
Yorkshire Live recommends a ''Cosy' Yorkshire walk with waterfall and quaint village', ie. Haworth, that is perfect for autumn. Chronicle Live recommends a trip to Haworth too. Digital Spy suggests streaming Frances O'Connor's Emily on the BBC.
Bengali audiences got their own audio Wuthering Heights early last year, courtesy of Mirchi Bangla's long-running Friday Classics: Banglay Biswasera (World's Best) strand:
Date of broadcast – 14th February 2025 Duration: 3:58:50
Cast: Mr. Lockwood - Agni Young Heathcliff & Hareton - Rwitobroto Mukherjee Miss Dean - Madhurima Goswami Heathcliff - Shakya Roy Catherine - Arkoja Acharyya Cathy - Sunayana Bhowmik Edgar & Mr. Earnshaw - RJ Shekhar Hindley - Smeet Kakkad Chaudhuri Linton, Young Edgar & Child Hindley - Sunrito Ghosh Isabella, Frances & Child Catherine - Sramana Roychoudhury Young Miss Dean - Moumi Dutta Zillah & Mrs. Earnshaw - Sujata Ghosh Joseph - Abhirup Banerjee
Crew Music & Sound Designing – Soumo-Shubho Sound Recordist – Sanjit Giri (Post Production Studios) Theme Music – Sayak Chakraborty Theme Animation – Pinku Mondal Poster Designing – Subhadeep Mukherjee Motion Poster – Anwesh De Script Mentoring – Tomali Chaudhuri Assistant Director – Abhirup Banerjee Executive Producer – Sujata Ghosh Produced by: Sound Ideas Translation and Adaptation: Shambhobi Ghosh & Susmita Moitra Direction: Tomali Chaudhuri
A year before, in 2024, a Jane Eyre adaptation was also published. ITV News has a piece on the premiere of the production of Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre. The Musical in London.
Another Jane Eyre theatrical adaptation that will tour England this Autumn is the Mercury Theatre Colchester, Rose Theatre and Storyhouse co-production (in association with Northern Stage), performing Sally Cookson, Mike Akers and the original company's adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel. WhatsonStage and others publish the cast: Olivia Marcus and Gabriel Akuwudike will lead the cast of a new touring production of Jane Eyre, directed by 2025 Royal Theatrical Support Trust Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Lily Dyble. The production, based on Sally Cookson, Mike Akers and the original company’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel, will premiere at Mercury Theatre Colchester from 26 September to 10 October 2026 before touring to Rose Theatre Kingston, Northern Stage in Newcastle and Storyhouse in Chester. (...) The creative team includes set designer Anna Yates, costume designer Khadija Raza, movement director Natasha Harrison, lighting designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán, composer and sound designer Joseff Harris, fight director Rachid Sabitri, intimacy director Haruka Kuroda and casting director Helena Palmer. Dyble said: “What is at the very heart of Jane Eyre is courage in the face of the unknown. I’m thrilled to be delivering this story to audiences with bravery and risk, made possible by this phenomenal cast and creative team.” (Alex Wood)
Positive News asks for rewilding Britain to fight against the recent wildfires: The purple, treeless moors found across Britain’s uplands can look timeless and wild. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë described “the purple moors” as “a wilderness of heath”. Yet these moors have been shaped by clearance, drainage, grazing, pollution and burning. Peat records from Keighley Moor in West Yorkshire, not far from Brontë country, reveal a longer story. For most of the past 1,000 years, this landscape would have been much wetter, with abundant peat-forming Sphagnum moss, rather than today’s extensive heather-dominated vegetation created through rotational burning. (Joe Glentworth)
Far Out Magazine thinks that Anna Calder-Marshall's Cathy was one of the worst miscasts of 70s movies: Anna Calder-Marshall as Cathy Earnshaw, ‘Wuthering Heights’ - 1970 Wuthering Heights has been subjected to adaptations that are good, bad, and highly controversial, but none of them has been as dull and uninspired as the 1970 version directed by Robert Fuest. While Timothy Dalton does have the stoic, stony gravitas needed to play Heathcliff, there’s little he can do when paired with Anna Calder-Marshall’s take on Cathy Earnshaw. This is a literary character known for her unbridled passion, venomous rage, and repressed sexuality, but Calder-Marshall depicts her as a soapy hero only defined by the tragedy that the story concludes with. Even if the G-rated version was not going to go to the extremities seen in the Andrea Arnold and Emerald Fennell versions of the story, it still needed to be interesting as a romantic drama. Sadly, Calder-Marshall doesn’t even have a dose of chemistry with Dalton. (Liam Gaughan)
La Información (Spain) celebrates the 136th anniversary (August 24th, 1890) of Jean Rhys: Jean Rhys, 136 años después: la escritora que rescató a una mujer recluida en un ático de Jane Eyre. Se cumplen 136 años de su nacimiento, una efeméride que devuelve la atención a la autora que convirtió a una figura secundaria de la literatura victoriana en protagonista de su propia historia (...) Sin embargo, su mayor reconocimiento llegó décadas después con Ancho mar de los Sargazos, publicada en 1966, tras un largo periodo apartada de la escena literaria. Un ejemplo de cómo los años de pausa o alejados de la actividad literaria más visible no implican un alejamiento del verdadero oficio del escritor. La obra dialoga directamente con Jane Eyre, el clásico que Charlotte Brontë publicó en 1847. Rhys recuperó a Bertha Mason, la esposa criolla de Rochester recluida en el ático, y reconstruyó su historia como Antoinette Cosway. El cambio de perspectiva permite abordar el pasado colonial caribeño, la identidad y las relaciones de poder que atraviesan al personaje. (Carmen Tomàs) (Translation)
El Debate (México) recommends readings according to your month of birth. For the January ones: Jane Eyre Enero tiene algo de comienzo. Después de las fiestas, muchas personas sienten la necesidad de ordenar su vida, cerrar ciclos y pensar qué quieren hacer diferente durante el nuevo año. Por eso, Jane Eyre puede ser una lectura especialmente atractiva para inaugurar el calendario. La novela de Charlotte Brontë sigue a Jane, una joven que atraviesa pérdidas, dificultades y relaciones complejas mientras intenta construir una vida en la que pueda conservar su independencia y dignidad. No es solamente una historia de amor: también habla de identidad, autonomía y de la búsqueda de un lugar propio. Es un libro ideal para quien quiere empezar el año con una historia intensa y clásica, pero que todavía puede sentirse sorprendentemente moderna en sus preguntas sobre libertad y decisiones personales. Si naciste en enero, este podría ser tu libro: una historia sobre empezar de nuevo sin renunciar a quién eres. (Ciria Alarcón) (Translation)
The Herald Sun (Australia) publishes something about a hen party of someone who is marrying someone else sometime in 2026. The party was supposed to be Wuthering Heights-themed or something: As the wedding of the year fast approaches, Bec Harding was in full hen’s mode at the weekend. [Rebecca] Harding and Andy Lee are set to tie the knot in New York in October. She looked ravishing in red as her Wuthering Heights-themed hen’s party took place on Saturday in Melbourne. (Jackie Eptstein)
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