Brontë Classic Comes to Amsterdam

The passionate, violent and mysterious tale of Wuthering Heights is making its way to the English stage in Amsterdam. On 8 January, the Theater Bellevue will host the modern version of Emily Brontë's classic in Wuthering Heights/Restless Soul.

"Choose! Choose, and make peace with your choice," is the powerful command of Nelly the maid as she consoles the young Catherine on her choice between her lovers Heathcliff and Edgar.

The ill-fated and passionate affairs between the three are played by Dutch actors Daan van Dijsseldonk, An Hackselmans and Fabian Jansen with tenderness for what lies at the heart of Brontë's  tale - the emotional rollercoaster of falling in love.

Under the direction of Dutch director Floor Huygen, who heads up the English department at the theater, the trio of lovers embrace the powerful, all-encompassing effects of love, longing and loss.

"Falling in love for the first time can be hard, things get fiercely passionate," says Huygen. "It may be wonderful to give tin to the attraction of your loved one, but at times it can burn and hurt as well."

Young audiences as well as older ones will undoubtedly be able to empathise with the experiences of Catherine and Heathcliff. As the novel itself has gripped readers for centuries so will the play, but not for the conventional reasons.Huygen says the show is less an interpretation of the text than a confrontation with it, exploring the volatile relationships within the story. "Every adaptation i have seen has avoided the violence and the fierceness," she says. "I wanted to get that into this play."

Highlighted by the Dutch Theater Festival, Wuthering Heights/Restless Souls has been hailed by critics at home and abroad. Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reports, "There is not a story that is as famous and universal as that of love that will tear people apart, and this is where the strength of this performance lies, in its appeal across generations."

The show will play for one night only before taking the stage in The Hague on 15 January. But those abroad can experience the powerful performance too - the show is set to play Stateside later in 2012.