Wuthering Heights at The Courtyard
We had the very real pleasure of an evening at The Courtyard to see their production of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
Directed by The Courtyard’s Associate Director David Durant, Wuthering Heights is a Pro-Am production which seamlessly blends professional actors, members of The Courtyard’s amazing Youth Theatre, and other talented performers from the local community, to tell this haunting tale of passion, love, choice, and consequence.
If you have read the novel, you may well wonder how the tale could be portrayed on stage. The action is set at Wuthering Heights – home of the Earnshaw family, Thrushcross Grange – home of the Linton family, and the wild, wild, windy moors of Yorkshire. Yes, Kate Bush is playing in my head as I write this! Despite the challenges, the set designers and actors pulled off the feat so well. Drawing room became kitchen, then bedroom, and then faded to become the moors. The staging and brilliant acting gave us a present retelling of memories held by servant Nelly Dean (played by the incredibly talented Laura Gwynne)to the eager audience of Mr Lockwood and everyone in the auditorium, of course. 
Not wanting to give the story-line away, the passion and emotions on the stage were incredibly realistic and powerful. There were several gasps from the audience, and moments we all jumped in our seats. A huge shout-out to Ishbel Cumming, who didn’t just play Catherine Earnshaw – she was Catherine Earnshaw. Beautiful, passionate, jealous, and verging on insanity, she played it all so naturally. But of course, one fantastic actor can’t really shine unless they have other great actors around them, and every member of the cast was brilliant. Hamish MacAulay is the perfect Heathcliff, a character you will no doubt sympathise with, love, fear, and, at times, even hate!
Some of the plot is uncomfortable to witness. There is some violence and bullying, social issues of class difference, and a highlighting of the roles of women, and their need to marry to survive in that era. Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights under the male pseudonym ‘Ellis Bell’ – a reflection of how things were in 1847. But there is also humour in what could be a purely dark tale of passion, love, jealousy, and revenge. Mr Lockwood (brilliantly played by Warren Alexander, a real on-stage professional who should never leave it so long again to tread the boards) and Nelly Dean have such a great rapport, offering that light in what could be an overwhelmingly dark tale.
As always, it’s heart warming to see the younger actors on stage, and it’s obvious many of them are highly experienced and perfectly at home on stage. Fran Lewis, Toby Potter, George Martin, Beth Fawkes, Ted Slough, Cameron Penny, Alex Eversham and Jacob Brydon all played their parts perfectly, supported by a brilliant ensemble of actors who kept the changes of scene well-oiled and flowing seamlessly. They make it look so easy, which is almost proof that for most of us, it’s not easy at all! 
We loved every minute – thank you to everyone involved in making this such an amazing must-see production.
Wuthering Heights is playing at The Courtyard until 4th October. If you are lucky enough and there are any tickets left, we highly recommend it.
