Emma Rice to Write & Direct Stage Adaptation of Wuthering Heights; World Premiere Set for London

Emma Rice, the innovative theater artist known in Broadway circles for her acclaimed theatricalization of Brief Encounter, is at work on a stage version of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, scheduled to arrive in London next year. Rice is adapting and directing the production, set to make its world premiere at the National Theatre's Lyttelton venue in fall of 2020, ahead of a U.K. tour.

Rice said, "I loved Wuthering Heights with a passion as a teenager. I thought it was a love story, a wild romance. I now find little love within its pages, but these multi-layered readings are what makes it such a fascinating story. My Wuthering Heights promises to be a revenge tragedy for our time—but it will also be about hope. I want to wrestle hatred to the earth and let a new story grow. Wild and fierce, elemental and true—I cannot wait to start work on this timeless classic. And that is theater romance right there!"

Wuthering Heights follows the explosive romance between Heathcliff, an orphan impulsively taken home to Wuthering Heights, and Catherine Earnshaw, a strong-minded girl who becomes his close companion.

Casting and production dates will be announced soon.