Wuthering Heights[author-post-rating] (3/5 stars)

It’s not easy to cram all of Wuthering Heights into an hour-long show, and unfortunately it shows in this production from 3BUGS theatre company. The cast rattle through their lines at such a speed that some, especially at the beginning, are incomprehensible. It’s a shame to start like this because once they get into their rhythm, the cast are generally measured and believable.

It’s a well-acted production in the main, but because the story has been so truncated it’s hard to understand why the characters do the things that they do – none of them feel rounded enough for us to understand their desires and motivations. The devastating love affair between Heathcliff and Cathy is, again, believable, but doesn’t feel passionate enough to destroy lives and families.

The narration between scenes is heavy-handed and clumsy, although it’s easy to understand why it’s necessary to the plot development. I wish this show has been given an extra half hour or so to really stretch its wings and get under the skin of the story. It feels lopped off at the knees and it’s sad because given a bit more space and time, the show could be stunning. The intensity is there from the cast but they aren’t given space to develop into something really powerful.

There’s also a strange decision to place the whole show within an ’80s aesthetic of stone-wash, high-waisted jeans, but no effort has been made to update the language. The script is still firmly situated in the time of the book – a time when it makes more sense that Cathy and Heathcliff’s love would be shocking and destructive. It just doesn’t ring true that Cathy’s capriciousness would have these repercussions in the twentieth century so it’s hard to understand this decision.

However, the young cast do a great job of drawing us into the story and making us feel for the characters, even if we don’t always understand what they’re doing and why. The actress playing the fragile and unstable Cathy is particularly good, and Nelly is a firm presence throughout. A well-acted and generally strong production that’s hampered by one odd decision and its short run time.

Wuthering Heights is at theSpace on the Mile until 23 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.