Review of Loft Theatre Company production of Wuthering Heights (2013)

One thing about this production cannot be denied – the sheer enthusiasm of the predominantly young cast.

They let rip at every opportunity with full-blooded speeches, screeches, shouts and snarls. And of course the play backs them up with its ready complement of slapping, kicking, whipping and throttling.

Rather a case of Withering Eardrums.

Emily Brontë raked it all up, of course, from the desolate, brooding backgrounds of her moorland home environment, and this adaptation by Lucy Gough determinedly foments the dark passions of twisted love. Unfortunately, this production has the feeling of a Hollyoaks cast let loose on a literary classic.

On the one hand, director David Hankins has inspired confidence in his players who seldom falter in their delivery. On the other, there is little evidence of any clear insight of the play’s disturbing depths until the young Cathy comes on the scene and Samantha Dart provides a performance of some style and versatility.

There is much dashing about the stage and leaping up on rocks, and the general lighting and sound effects create the right sort of atmosphere of gloom and despondency. But serious involvement is seldom achieved and certainly negated by scenes like the awkward handling of a supposed baby whose cries are clumsily imported from offstage. This took us direct from Hollyoaks to Monty Python.

The play is a difficult undertaking in the best of circumstances, so this attempt is hardly one to cherish.

I did, however, like the big central tree.

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Peter McGarry is an experienced, independent professional theatre critic who has agreed to review Loft Theatre Company productions.

The agreement with the Loft is that Peter is free to express his opinions for good or ill. The Loft Theatre Company has no control whatsoever over the content of these reviews and will never comment publicly on what he writes.