A version of Wuthering Heights performed by an all male cast was a curiosity worth seeing.How on Earth are they going to do it? , what on Earth will it be like?
Well , they done it superbly , and it was surreal other worldly spiritual journey unlike anyone could expect.
One of the characters admirable performs with the role of a Swiftian Horse with a depth of character and texture that makes the audience believe and have sympathy of his yearning to be free like his ancestors , unlike the shackles and reins he is tied to in this story , and like the horse you feel the hope that a better future is attainable especially as the horse is already liberated in spirit , with only the body waiting to catch up with its soul.
The Human characters are at most times set to the rhythms and routines of the horse and they synch with its movements , no doubt a metaphor for the worldly and material constraints on the full expression of the Human spirit and soul.
The characters are highly expressive and there is a happy and liberating feel to the performance , one had a sagacious Shimura smile , another a mischievous though benign grin , knowing but comely.The others also had a quality of grace over stress about their demeanour.
Clearly the play does not follow the Novel , but it does capture the essence and give a contemporary take with a message of hope , as long as one takes the responsibility to right wrongs when there is the time for rectifying left.
This review from "The Scotsman" is pretty fair:
"Peter McMaster’s Wuthering Heights, by contrast, is a strikingly graceful and well-shaped show, despite elements that demand an audience with a certain tolerance for the daft. Performed by a group of five fine young male theatre-makers in their twenties, Wuthering Heights is a powerful 50- minute reflection on themes suggested by Emily Brontë’s great novel, and notably on the character of Heathcliff, the damaged, violent romantic hero at the centre of the story.
It’s possible to quibble with some elements of McMaster’s work. The group dance-in to the sound and movement of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights is too jokey to sit easily with the rest of the material, which shows a real respect for the brooding darkness of Brontë’s vision; the imagined presence of the horses, neighing and galloping around the place in some scenes, is a high-risk strategy.
Yet time and again, in McMaster’s piece, the sheer quality and focus of the ensemble performance sweeps away any reservations about the show’s content, and vindicates McMaster’s decisions. The acting, the writing and the choreography of the piece are all beautifully prepared and crafted, and the show’s quiet conclusion – a series of meditations on modern male lives, followed by a tiny, vivid final glimpse of Heathcliff and Cathy playing as children – is truly moving, as one of Scotland’s most interesting young theatre-makers moves forward, into new ground."
You can see an earlier , less complete , version of the play recorded earlier in 2012 in the video below ( the one features is the last part of 4)
In a STV interview Peter McMaster explained: “From the outside from an audience's perspective it's not changed too much since Arches Live, the biggest difference is our understanding of the work. I took the guys away on a retreat to look into the emotional side of the journey.
“I think I would find it really hard if we were trying to condense the text into an hour show, it's more responding to the story rather than trying to recreate it.
“There's not too many references to a particular time period. There's five men they all wear a suit and they all take on the part of Heathcliff at some stage or other."
it was a unique experience that adds value to the understanding and themes of the Novel.
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