Review: JANE EYRE, Glasgow Botanic Gardens

Opening the outdoor season at Bard in the Botanics 2024 is an adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, written by Jennifer Dick.

The open-air setting is beautiful (if a little cold on this alleged summer evening). A cast of six take on a variety of roles for this production. Stephanie McGregor plays Jane, the perfect embodiment of a defiant 10-year-old girl and later, a confident young woman. Jane's parents have passed away, leaving her in the care of an aunt who never hides her disdain for the child. She has Jane sent to a residential school where she is educated and develops her artistic skills.

After seeing an advert placed for a governess, Jane moves to a remote area to teach Adele Varens, the ward of the dashing Mr Rochester (Johnny Panchaud). Rochester brought Adele back from France as his ward but doesn't seem particularly keen on getting to know the girl. Stephen Arden is utterly charming as the young girl, throwing a frilly pink dress on over his other costumes for the show and taking on the mannerisms of the child. 

The ensemble are incredibly tight, dipping in and out of different roles as required. The dynamic between McGregor and Panchaud is brilliant as Jane and Rochester fall for each other. There's a slight issue though, he's not been completely honest with Jane...

Jane Eyre is a classic for a reason and it's great to see such a professional production in such an intimate setting. 

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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