Gregory Isaac, right foreground, Lindsay Leopold/Photo: Suzanne Plunkett

RECOMMENDED

Emily Bronte’s classic returns to Lifeline, presented not as the “Twilight”–referenced melodrama many are familiar with, but as a meditation on emotional bondage, power and control. Heathcliff (Gregory Isaac) and Cathy (Lindsay Leopold) take every opportunity to test their love, dragging spouses, friends and family along on their destructive ride for two generations.

Isaac is classically brooding, Leopold is suitably fickle, wavering between her affection and her desire for wealth and status. Cameron Feagin offers a note of sanity as a servant consistently amazed at this crew’s potential for cruelty.

Adaptor Christina Calvit’s narrative gets bogged down in its own timeline occasionally and flashbacks fail to clarify the flow. But director Elise Kauzlaric stays on top of the pacing, her beautifully choreographed blocking illustrates the ties that bind. Branimira Ivanova’s lush, detailed costumes are appropriately restrictive; Alan Donahue’s set is darkly pastoral. The piece is a twisted, soulful gilded cage. (Lisa Buscani)

“Wuthering Heights,” Lifeline Theatre, 6912 Glenwood, (773)761-4477, through October 31.