In this new work from Fringe favourite, Rebecca Vines, the talented young cast explores the vivid imaginary worlds of Glass Town. Initially created by Charlotte and her brother Branwell the young Brontës begin to shape their lives and work for the future through their elaborate inventions and detailed fantasy creation.
This is great work from a talented cast
Vines' profoundly layered script echoes the poetry of the Brontë canon, and there are touchstones of the family's tragic life throughout the short piece that provides important context to the work. It is easy to forget and yet hard to overestimate how truly groundbreaking the Brontë sisters were and how their formative years and relationships heavily influenced the work we now all know and love. This production serves as an excellent reminder of the fact that the Brontë family (particularly the sisters) were "not nothing."
Context is key here - this is a young cast I suspect that for more than one or two of them this is their first time on the international stage. The performances they presented with done so with passion and dedication as they bring the Brontës and their fantasy world to life. Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell are particularly engaging as the young actors inhabit the roles bringing style, maturity and commitment to their characters. With a large cast and small stage there were inevitable moments of complicated traffic that could have been tidier and a more experienced cast may have handled the blocking with more secure placing, although this did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the play.
The cast avoids the all-too-familiar trap often associated with work from youth companies of hammering the pace. Vines' direction keeps the pacing exactly where it needs to be and stage discipline is present throughout with even the curtain call well-timed and choreographed. This is great work from a talented cast.
