AN “ENERGETIC and imaginative” stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece Jane Eyre comes to the county next week.

Keighley fans of the literary family can see the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic production at the Grand Theatre in Leeds.

Sally Cookson’s new adaptation of the 19th century novel was praised by critics and the public when it premiered last year.

It then went on tour with Nadia Clifford as Jane Eyre and Tim Delap as Rochester, and will be at the Grand from Monday to Saturday, July 31 to August 5.

The lead actors visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum and Haworth moors earlier this year to soak up the atmosphere of the places that inspired Charlotte to create a dark and brooding story.

The tour has been organised to mark the 170th anniversary of the first publication of Jane Eyre portrays the story of one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment.

From her beginnings as a destitute orphan, Jane Eyre’s spirited heroine faces life’s obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.

Director Sally Cookson said: “Adapting a novel for the stage is a challenging prospect - especially when that novel is cited as many people’s favourite of all time.

“It is always daunting when you’re working on a story which everyone knows so well because you want to surprise and maybe challenge people’s expectations without losing any of the things which make them like the story in the first place.”

“I didn’t actually read the novel until I was in my early twenties and I remember thinking while I read it: ‘this is a clarion cry for equal opportunities for women, not a story about a passive female who will do anything for her hunky boss.’

“I was struck by how modern Jane seemed - her spirit and strong will, her peculiar and brilliant mind striving for personal freedom to be who she is, lashing out against any constraint that prevents her from being herself. She was exactly the sort of person I wanted to be.”

Originally presented in two parts at Bristol Old Vic, Jane Eyre was re-imagined as a single performance when it transferred to the National Theatre.

Visit leedsgrandtheatre.com or call 0844 8482700 to book tickets.