Hello all.  Just in case any of you miss Peter Amory in Emmerdale,
here's my two bit review of his appearance in Jane Eyre on Saturday
25th June at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow.  Just a warning - this
review might spoil the story of Jane Eyre, so don't read on if you're
half way through the book!


Jane Eyre
=========

This show hit all the right spots for a fan of romantic drama: tortured
lonely souls, unrequited love, secrets in the attic, and a smashing
tear-jerker ending.  However, I did feel that the pace of the
adaptation was a little quick.  I'd have happily sat in the theatre for
an extra 40 minutes to see the Jane and Rochester's tortured journey of
falling in love and eventually getting together drawn out a bit longer.
 Time is limited, but I'd like to have endured a bit more teasing
before they finally confessed their love to one another.  Similarly, I
flinched at the full-on Hollywood style french kissing which graced the
climax of certain scenes.  This is period drama; I expect passionate
but chaste, lips-closed kissing.  Leave the rest to my imagination,
thanks!

However, my criticisms are only for the adaptation and the direction.
This was a feast of acting talent.  Sarah Mowat's Jane was very
carefully styled: outspoken and honest to the point of akwardness and
played confidently, daring not be liked immediately.  Bruce Montague
was funny and totally covincing in his disappointingly small character
part of Briggs.  Katie Evans as Mrs. Fairfax was beautifully genuine in
a part which, while dramatically understated, provides a backdrop of
constancy to the volatile leads.

But to the man of the moment!  Yes, I went to see this play with the
fairly shallow intention of getting a long-awaited Peter Amory hit: I
might never have stumbled in otherwise, but I wasn't disappointed at
all.  Amory was vocally and physically powerful.  He certainly looked
the part of tall, dark, brooding hero  (wow, more appearances in riding
breeches and boots please, Peter!) and I was pleased to discover that
the slightly whiny voice I associate with the character of Chris Tate
had been left behind at Home Farm.

After seeing Amory play the same character for so long I couldn't help
looking out for vestiges of Chris in his movements and facial
expressions but this was indeed a new character.  Physically he dealt
particularly well with the change in the Rochester between the
penultimate and final acts.  He effected a visible metamorphosis from
powerful, forceful near-brute of a man to the wasted wretch, abandonded
by his true love and rueing the day he was rescued, blind and
disfigured from the fire which freed him, ironically too late, from his
binding secret in the attic.

It would be easy to draw parallels between the tragic characters of
Edward Rochester and Chris Tate.  It would probably have been easy for
Amory to recycle some of his old moves but instead he proved himself,
finding a whole new range of sounds and movements, which is no mean
feat after sitting out umpteen years as the same soap baddie.  I'm a
fan of Amory and, I'll admit, a complete sucker for the enigmatic
brooding hero and for romantic drama in general, but I did go in
slightly sceptical and leave convinced.  I hope that Peter Amory enjoys
playing this sort of character, because I want to see more of this and
anything else he has to offer!  I used to have a favourite character;
now I've found a favourite actor and I'll definitely be booking up for
his next appearance, which I believe is in Patrick Hamilton's
"Gaslight".  It's touring in September and also features Leah
Bracknell.  Is Ian Dickens Productions a cover for the Emmerdale
Retirement Club?


SadKate***  27/06/05
www.angelfire.com/tv2/christate