I went to Berkeley Rep to see Wuthering Heights. I love me a good Wuthering Heights. The emotions. The drama. The Moors. This production was a stunning adaptation that I highly recommend. Super up there at the top of things to see.

The creativity was really next level. Using puppets to portray kids and dogs worked so well, tickled my entertainment bone, and awed me with its inventiveness. The moors were played by actual actors that wove their way through the scene in such a convincing way it felt as if these were always how the moors felt. So insanely creative. wow. The choreography was one of the best parts. It flowed. All of it creating a flow, moving you with the piece and the music.. the music was so organic, woven throughout the piece, further creating this perfect smooth flow through the story. The music didn’t… insert itself like most musicals, it was it’s own character that moved with the whole. Absolutely stunning how perfect it all was. The lighting was brilliant. It created the mood perfectly, entirely flawless.

I save the acting for last. I saw some of the greatest acting and some of the worst acting. But first, the greatest. I don’t know how some of these actors aren’t on a world stage and we get them in our little corner of the world. Tama Phethean who played Hindley was so beyond amazing to watch.. I almost wish he was cast at Heathcliff. His range of emotion had me all over the place. Georgia Bruce.. this little sprite of a woman had a range and hilariously entertaining performance in all the many characters she played. I first saw her and didn’t think much, as she was a part of the ensemble and then the characters came out.. omg how is she doing this? She portrayed Little Linton so perfectly, I want to go back just to watch that again. There were others that were just beyond top notch.. Sam Archer in many roles, killed them all. Leah Brotherhead played Catherine and yep, the perfect Catherine. She was exactly that and her haunting the stage after her death was brilliant and rocking us out with voice and song.. worth the price of admission. Which brings me to Heathcliff. I love me a good Heathcliff. While Liam Tamne is a fine actor he did not embody Heathcliff. He brought no simmering hatred, no bitter heat, even smiling in times he was spewing venom.. it was a travesty with all the brilliance around him, he couldn’t feel what Heathcliff felt. They handed to him on a silver platter the emotions, the situations and we had a handsome, flat affect, half-hearted Heathcliff. How is no one seeing this? This stunning, brilliant, creative, next level production and this one weak element that stood out so glaringly I can’t figure it out. Tama (Hindley) would have killed in the Heathcliff role. There’s a lot of actors that could have left me ragged with the weight of his pain and I felt shortchanged. Because it’s all about me and I want it all. haha. I hate to knock any performer or performance and Liam really is a fine actor.. just not a Heathcliff. I still say go, if you have a taste for this story. It was beautifully inventive and organic and a great ride.