| After Mrs Rochester |
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by Polly Teale 22 April - 1 May 2010
This tells the true story of the novelist Jean Rhys, a white Creole born in the West Indies, who came to England when she was seventeen. She led a restless and self-destructive life, feeling misplaced in English society. But she had a passion for literature, especially for Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. This followed her discovery that the story of the book introduced the character of Bertha Mason – the first Mrs Rochester, the mad woman in the attic – and that she was also a West Indian. That a West Indian character should have been tucked into the pages of English literature fascinated her. The play takes place in an attic room as Jean, battling with depression, remembers her own past and finds herself in the company of her alter ego, Bertha Mason.
Cast
Surrey Mirror ReviewTheo Spring May 14 2010 Jean Rhys is the author of The Wide Sargasso Sea and this intense production follows her troubled life from poor white Creole in Dominica to her life's search for security. Playwright Polly Teale used Jean's three alter egos – her older, inebriated self, Jean as a girl/young women and Jean as the mad Bertha from Jane Eyre, the book which has such an influence on her life. Nikki Packham and Emma Bugg melded extraordinarily as the older and younger Jean, with Bugg performing well beyond her years. Irene Amos made her mark as Jean's mother and Roger Dale as her father, but each contributed to the play's further diverse characters. Dawn Cato's delightful Tite and Denise Scales' difficult role as Bertha added fun and gravitas respectively and David Love's Mr Rochester and a small team of Jean's lovers were individually characterised. Rachel Poulloin brought Jean's daughter and Jane Eyre to life. Mike Millsted's static set design transformed itself into wherever the story took it and Karen Murray's wardrobe was crucial to the plot. Howard Davidson's music totally enhanced a production of which the strong cast and director can be inordinately proud.
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