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Bronte
By Polly Teale
Directed by James Bohnen
Produced by Remy Bumppo think theatre
At Victory Gardens Greenhouse
Upstairs Main Stage
2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-871-3000, tickets $35 - $40
Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:30 PM
Wednesday matinees at 10:30 am April 9 & 23
Wednesday matinee at 2 pm April 2, 16 & 30
Saturday matinee at 2 pm April 5 at 2:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 20 minutes with intermission
Through May 4, 2008
Inventive drama sheds light on the enigma of the sisters Bronte
Remy Bunppo think theatre has mounted a theatrical work of art with their stellar production of Polly Teale’s Bronte. This play paints a vivid portrait that attempts to answer the question: How is it possible that three Victorian spinsters, living in isolation on the Yorkshire moors, could have written some of the most powerful and passionate fiction of all time? This stylistic drama, smartly directed by James Bohnen, aptly mirrors the bleak, austere existence of the three Bronte sisters in Britain in the 1840’s. In that era, women were severely limited in their social activities. If women didn’t marry young their prospects often are limited to being governess or spinsters. Women seldom received education and were not permitted library cards or to travel alone.
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We meet the dysfunctional Bronte clan led by the indifferent preacher/writer Patrick (Patrick Clear, excellent in various roles). He laces his household with books for his daughter’s voracious appetite for knowledge. Branwell (Gregory Anderson, terrific in several roles) is the Bronte son with whom much is expected and little accomplished. Branwell becomes a self-destructive drinker, drug user and womanizer. His debauchery became complete despite his sisters attempts to save him.
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We get a glimpse into the drudgery of life that the three sisters had as they each died young and each never had sex or any passionate relationships. Only Charlotte (Susan Shunk) married her father’s curate Arthur Bell Nicholls only months before her death at age 39. She was pregnant when she died. Charlotte was the strongest and most ambitious sister. Her novel, Jane Eyre, gave her fame and enough money to raise the level of the family. Emily Bronte (Carrie A. Coon) based her novel, Wuthering Heights, on her brother’s antics and her own adventures as a governess. She was a neurotic with an active, wildly erotic imagination. Anne was a poet, the youngest sister who dies quite young. We get a view of the distinct, yet repressed, personalities of these amazingly talented women. Linda Gillum was terrific in a thankless role as mad wives and jilted lovers fictional characters as she mirrors the novelist as they create their stories.
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I did have some trouble early on with the changes back and forth in time and the in-and-out Yorkshire accents. It didn’t help that I was not too familiar with which sister wrote what. However, once I kept tuned in, Bronte unfolds as an artistic drama filled with flights of fantasy that underscores the imagined world that each suppressed sister exhibits through their writings. The play builds the dramatic tension nicely and eventually we understand the sisters better. This drama is a tribute to the power of the mind to imagine and live intellectually in a vast fantasy world of one’s own making.
Gregory Anderson’s work as Branwell (and others) demonstrated his maturity as an actor. Susan Shunk, Carrie A. Coon and Rachel Sandag marvelously plays the Bronte sisters. Fans of the Bronte novels and those who like theatrical art will enjoy this show.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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