The Ellen Terry Barn Theatre set the scene last week for a stirring performance by the Hotbuckle Theatre Company of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Hotbuckle is a professional troupe of actors who specialise in bringing the classical stories of literature to life. The small cast of four players used lightning-fast costume changes to give us multiple well-differentiated characters, with depth of feeling and with humour.
The star of this show was undoubtedly Aaron Dart, playing the saturnine figure of Heathcliff, a man brooding revenge, overpoweringly physical in word, expression and actions. It was a towering performance reflecting the bleak Yorkshire moors in which Emily Bronte set her novel. The supporting cast were also magnificent, Emily-Rose Hurdiss as Catherine and Joanna Purslow as the housekeeper and confidante.
The Ellen Terry Barn Theatre at Smallhythe, Tenterden, is owned by the National Trust. It is also home to the Barn Theatre Society, whose members enjoy a series of high-quality small theatre productions during the season from April to September each year.
On Saturday May 26 comes the chance to see “My Dog’s got no Nose” billed as a comedy but also thought-provoking and theatrically compelling. For membership information, contact theatre director Peter Mould on 01424 440484 or email info@ellenterrybarntheatre.co.uk
Photo: National Trust
Image Credits: National Trust .