Review: Jane Eyre at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

⭐⭐⭐ (Three Stars)

Charlotte Brontë’s most famous novel Jane Eyre has sold millions of copies worldwide since it was first published in 1847. Beloved by many, this story of an orphaned girl who is mistreated before eventually finding independence and love feels ripe for musical adaptation. However, though adeptly performed by a strong cast in a slick and attractive production, Jane Eyre’s UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant is held back by a relentlessly bleak tone with very limited levity and without the sense of hope that should be propelling our heroine. 

Paul Gordon’s music and lyrics for the production provide the cast with plenty of opportunities to showcase their soaring vocals excellently. However, there is little variety within the show’s score. While the songs all feel cohesive and sound lovely in the moment, they don’t leave much of an impact and for the most part are almost immediately forgettable. John Caird provides the musical’s book, a highlight of which is when the ensemble cast narrates Jane’s inner monologue in the first person. These instances are also staged clearly by co-directors Caird and Megan McGinnis so as not to cause confusion. 

In the titular role, Charlie Burn delivers strong vocals, captures the character’s anguish believably and has great chemistry with Ashley Gilmour’s brooding Rochester. Burn is joined in playing the character of Jane by a young actress (Emily-Rose Samuel at the press night performance) who also portrays the precocious French-speaking Adèle when adult Jane is employed as a governess, delivering two distinct characterisations effectively.  

Morgan Large’s set and costume design leans into the dark and moody tone of the piece with black and white period costumes - which hang visibly on hooks either side of the main playing space to allow for onstage costume changes throughout the show - and a large screen displaying atmospheric projections of misty moors and the grand house’s interiors. A small platform is flanked by twisting vines that reach up to where quotations from Brontë’s novel are written while the main playing space is kept mostly empty save for a few furniture pieces that are brought on throughout the show. 

Overall, if you enjoy theatre that leans into the melancholic (think Les Misérables on a smaller scale and without the comedic relief of the Thénardiers), there is much for you to enjoy about Jane Eyre at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, from its cast to its clear reverence for the source material.

Jane Eyre runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 24th October 2026.

Photos by Victoria Davies