Synopsis

Mr Earnshaw, father to Cathy and her elder brother Hindley, rescues a poor starving boy from the docks of Liverpool. Heathcliff thus enters the 'House On The Hill', and the wild gypsy boy falls for Cathy, but attracts nothing but hatred from Hindley. Over the years, Cathy and Heathcliff become inseparable as they roam the moors together, but when Mr Earnshaw dies and Hindley becomes master at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff soon begins to feel the full force of that resentment. He endures the day-to-day difficulties of living under the same roof as Hindley only because of his love for Cathy.

When Cathy is bitten by a dog owned by wealthy Edgar Linton, Heathcliff gets to meet Isabella, Edgar’s sister. She immediately becomes secretly enamoured with him, and during Cathy’s recuperation at Edgar’s house he develops feeling for her. On her return to Wuthering Heights, full of the delights that a wealthy existence brings, she finds her relationship towards Heathcliff has changed; she wants him as a friend, but wants Edgar as a husband. Distraught, Heathcliff storms off onto the moors. Cathy, still in love with Heathcliffe, follows him in order to placate him, but unable to find him she returns, bedridden with a severe chill. Heathcliffe doesn’t return, but decides to travel abroad in an attempt to forget about her.

A number of years pass in which Cathy marries Edgar receiving wealth and power, but is not really in love with him, and she begins to regret the marriage. Meanwhile, Heathcliff decides to return and try and rekindle his bond with her. On the way, quite by chance he meets Hindley at a game of cards and with Hindley drunk and boastful, Heathcliff wins the game and also wins the deeds to Wuthering Heights. Hindley advises Heathcliff that Cathy is now married, which information causes Heathcliff to reconsider his plans. He returns to Wuthering Heights where the roles are now reversed - he is the master and Hindley the tenant. Some years pass until he meets not only Cathy again, but Isabella, who is unmarried. Heathcliff becomes a frequent visitor to the Linton’s house, partly to pursue Isabella, but also to make Cathy jealous. Isabella marries Heathcliff and moves to Wuthering Heights and when Heathcliff’s true intentions are revealed, Hindley unsuccessfully tries to get Isabella to murder him.

The wild moors finally draw Heathcliff and the ailing Cathy together for a final passionate reconciliation before she dies in his arms, returning ghost-like to haunt his memory forever.

In this superb musical, Bernard J Taylor has lovingly recreated the passion and atmosphere redolent in the much-loved novel. With a title such as this, the story is immediately attractive to an audience as well as to Directors, casts and crew.

Characters

Songs