BROODING passions simmer beneath the surface of Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre - with the eponymous heroine every bit as guarded about her feelings as the mysterious Mr Rochester.

Malvern Theatres' production of the well-known work, staged by Good Company, is not the most lavish of productions, although the low-key presentation helps enhance the downbeat mood of the main characters and their problems.

From Jane's early difficult schooldays to Rochester's aloofness, this is a tale of - for the most part - unrequited passions.

When Jane, played by Jessica Lloyd, becomes governess to Brian Deacon's Rochester, it soon becomes evident that his remote Moors home harbours family secrets and the theatrical presentation of a literary classic traces their gradual unravelling.

Although the downbeat production captures a sense of mood, it also leads to a rather flat atmosphere and perhaps we do not care quite as much for the characters as we should or hope for their eventual happiness, fated as they are to be together.

Lloyd brings a quiet dignity to her portrayal of Jane while the rest of the cast - including Margaret Ashcroft as Mrs Fairfax and Tryphena Mulford as Adele Varens - deliver workmanlike performances.

REVIEW BY PETER McMILLAN