Wuthering Heights

Narrators can be death to drama. Those looking for proof need look no further than the current tour of Wuthering Heights.

Dramatising a classic and well-loved novel is difficult enough, but relying on a narrator to push the plot forward, even if this is how the novel functions, only removes the audience from the events that transpire.

The decision to have a narrator relay another narrator's tale only furthers the distance. The result is a disjointed production that looks good but is too far removed to evoke any emotional response. And that's a pity, especially as the story is steeped in such raw emotion.

The plot follows the lives and fortunes of downtrodden Heathcliff and privileged Cathy, two passionate people whose shared childhood and antagonistic adulthoods lead to tragedy.

The original source is far darker than most of the adaptations, with its themes of death, spite and vengeance, and those only familiar with these adaptations may also be surprised by how much of the second half usually gets cut, as the resolution falls to the children of the conflicted characters.

Playwright April De Angelis should be commended for attempting to keep the novel's full structure and most of the language, but her over-use of the narrators Lockwood and Nelly not only removes the audience from the action but also slows the pace, especially of the rather dull opening 20 minutes.

That's not to say this is a bad production; it's just weak. The direction and design can best be described as functional, whereas the ensemble is mostly good, with some weak links in the supporting cast. Antony Byrne makes a rather effective Heathcliff, showing sides to the character that may surprise some. Equally good are Amanda Ryan's Cathy and Simon Coates, who has the rather thankless but difficult role of Lockwood.

With such a seminal story, it really is a shame that this Wuthering Heights isn't any better. But there is only so much one can take with an adaptation that's heavy in narration but light on emotional pay-off.