Brilliantly beautiful Brontë: The World Without written by Jordi Mand, and directed by Sylvia Swift gives audience members so much to take in, enjoy, and reflect on later.
The setting of the stage was superb, as it takes play attendees to both the simpler, yet more difficult time of the late 1800s. Kimberly Liptrap, who might just be a creative genius with the set design, uses decor and projections to show time passing and seasons changing right before audience members' eyes.
Thanks to high school English classes, many have been introduced to the works of Brontë sisters but most don't know what inspired their writing journey, and the struggle and emotion that went along with it, as they step up to help support their ailing father and older alcoholic brother Branwell Brontë (Dan Leckey).
Packed with emotion, revel, and sibling rivalry, all three women bring completely captivating performances as the three creative Brontë sisters.
Genevieve Charbonneau really leans in to her portrayal of Charlotte, the eldest of the three sisters. Watching her performance is like watching poetry in motion as she spins around on stage like a dancing dervish, blending the bossiness that comes with being an older sister, with gentle moments of jealousy and vulnerability.
Julia Lalonde gives a gripping and honest performance as middle sister Emily, who is portrayed as the glue who held the three sisters together. There are some moving moments where audience members get a glimpse into how Emily struggled with the thought of sharing her writing, and how it was accepted. Lalonde puts her heart into the heartbreak of her sad story.
Zoe Nickerson, who takes the Mercury Stage for the first time, is an absolute delight to watch as she portrays the youngest of the Brontë sisters Anne, who sometimes was considered the most radical of the three and was the least mainstream in her writings. Nickerson embodies the perfect younger sibling between her scrunched up facial expressions and the way she moves, sometimes stomping across the stage in her interactions with her older sisters who she admires and wants so much to be like. While all three actors had their moments, it was Nickerson who so charmingly brought most of the comedic relief from what otherwise is quite the hard hitting tale of sisters, survival, and storytelling.
As literature, passion, and resilience unfolds on stage, this reporter is not too proud to say that a tear trickled down my cheek. There will be no more spoilers from me, just a nudge that community theatre lovers should not let this one pass them by.
There will be a 7:30 show on May 9, as well as two 2:30 p.m. matinees on May 10, and 11 at the Duncan United Church — tickets are available at Ten Old Books or through mercury-players.tickit.ca. Theatre lovers will have one more chance to see Brontë: The World Without as the Ladysmith Little Theatre stage on May 16 as one of this year's three local productions in the 2025 South Island Zone Festival. For more information on showtimes, and tickets visit www.ladysmiththeatre.com/tickets/.
