Charlotte Brontë?s novel Jane Eyre was published in England in 1847 and has drawn readers ever since. Orphaned Jane suffers a difficult childhood at the Lowood boarding school, but persists, helped by her plain, but intelligent nature. Despite her plainness, Jane captures the heart of her enigmatic employer, Edward Rochester, but a secret upsets their plans.
Zsótér?s production uses minimal props and concentrates on the kernel of the story, allowing it to speak for itself. The audience sees Jane?s dreams and learns her thoughts.
Brontë?s story expresses ?subtlety without mincing words, intellect without resorting to wit and human understanding without all kinds of phony humanist whining,? Zsótér said.
After a rereading of the novel, Zsótér said he had an impulse to experiment with the text in order to see how the spoken parts could be staged. He avoided placing one dialogue after another, rather allowing Jane to speak for herself through her thoughts. The adaptation, which Zsótér wrote himself, has the effect of a talking graphic novel, he said. A wall on the stage showing a montage of Jane?s fantasy world adds to the effect.
Kata Wéber plays Jane Eyre in the production, Sándor Terhes plays Edward Rochester, Mari Csomós is Bertha Mason, Márta Martin plays Sarah Reed and Virág Marjai is in the role of Helen Burns. Set design is by is by Mária Ambrus, costumes are by Mari Benedek and the dramaturge is Júlia Ungár.
Many film adaptations of Jane Eyre have been made over the years, the most recent a 1996 production directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
